Make My Fangs Go Wild
by Midnight Crisis
Summary: Zack Fair, Vampire 1st Class, encounters the blonde mercenary Cloud Strife. He soon realizes that Cloud's more than who he pretends to be. Oh the thrills they'll have. ZackxCloud.
1. Surprise Me

**A/N:** ...I _should _feel guilty, right? -sweatdrop- Ugh. I know, I'm horrible! -cries- I should really update my other stories, but I so wanted to write a Final Fantasy fic! Don't kill me, pretty please?  
Anyway, jokes and guiltyness aside, you should go check my profile (especially the poll) -nudge nudge- :D So about this story... well... It's long (the chapter I mean), because I thought "Since I make them wait so long for updates, I'm going to write a long chapter!". It's 12-13 pages long in Times New Roman pt. 12 in Word. I've never written such long chapters. Ahahaha.. -sweatdrop- . Anyway, enough of my rambling, I'd say: enjoy the reading!

**Warnings:** let's see.. Yaoi (boyxboy), maybe lemon (in future chapters), violence. All that jazz.  
**Rating:** M just to be safe, and because there'll be mature content in this.  
**Pairings:** ZackxCloud. Maybe a side-pairing too in later chapters.  
**Genres:** Romance / Action / Suspense / SuperNatural / Angst / Drama

**Beta's: **A HUGE thanks to Seka-Chan and Reizbar-Ookami for editting this stuff. :D

**Disclaimer:** Psht, do I _look_ like I own Final Fantasy VII (Crisis Core)? If I owned it, I wouldn't be writing stories in which my fave pairings (all boyxboy) are making out and stuff. Then there would be simply make-out sessions in FMV format! :D

* * *

_There's a sickness inside you that wants to escape  
It's a feeling you get when you can't find your way  
So how many times must you fall to your knees  
Never, never, never, never, never do this again_

- World So Cold by 12 Stones

* * *

**Prologue**

_A long time ago, it was common for vampires to live under the same roof with humans. It was also a well-known fact that a vampire could wed a human, and vice versa._

_At that time, vampires didn't need to murder people to drink their blood, since the villagers, in exchange for the vampires' protection, willingly gave them small dosages of it._

_But all that drastically changed with the arrival of a new vampire._

_He slaughtered all__ of the villagers; killed all the women and children. He even murdered the vampires, his own race, merciless and slow._

_Only six male vampires survived. But only three succeeded in escaping their deadly fate, while the other three fought the invader until they also died._

_From that day onwards, he became the most powerful and frightening vampire, and his eyes would always glow in the darkest shadows, always ready to attack and kill._

_But no one ever saw him again, nor the three escaped vampires. It was like they all vanished, leaving nothing behind to know if they still existed or not._

_Nothing, except…_

* * *

**Fang I: Surprise Me (If You Can)**

Red.

The pavement was splattered with the crimson liquid, slowly descending towards the sewers and leaving a long trail behind.

The air smelled like death. If not for the blood, then for the cadaver that was emptying itself from its life fluids out of the profound hole in its chest, the creator of the wound being a huge sword which was wielded by a tall young man with long, spiky black hair and deep aquamarine eyes.

The individual gazed at the pale human corpse, a slight hint of remorse showing on his lightly tanned face, which quickly faded away when he frowned.

He didn't want this to happen, not again. It was one human too many, killed for his own sake, tempted by the fine, delicious smell of salty blood, the warmth emitting from it and the dulcet pulses of the heart and veins.

It had caused to bring the ferocious animal out of him, to attack its prey and rip it to little pieces, to hear the painful, stentorian screams when he sunk his teeth in its tender flesh and drank everything until the last droplet.

He had killed once again. He had taken the life of an innocent victim without an ounce of hesitation. And for what price?

To save his own ass. To save his own pitiful life, also known as Zack 'Zackary' Fair, Vampire 1st class.

The young man gritted his teeth together, frowning even harder, making the cross-like scar on his left cheek look even darker and scarier than it already was.

Was all this murdering really necessary? Could they not try to live on animal blood instead of humans? Did they really _**need**_ the rich liquid at all?

'_Of course that we need it, dumb ass. We're not normal; we're 'creatures of the night', like it's written in those pathetic, untrue books of myths. We're monsters, blood-sucking demons. We're supposed to suck blood, it wouldn't be...right, otherwise,' _he reminded himself.

"Really pathetic," he whispered while he hunched down to close the eyes of the human whom he had attacked not even thirty seconds ago. After a quick 'Rest in peace,' he stood up and walked away, his sword attached to the brown leather straps on his back and only making crumbling sounds when he walked on the dead leaves lying on the hard stony ground.

"But that's what we are, and nobody can change that." And with that he disappeared in the shadows of the forest.

* * *

"Cloud! Cloud, please wait!"

A girl with long brown-reddish curls and pale skin ran out of a house towards a tall young man who was standing on an empty street, whom had stopped after hearing his name being called out.

'_There goes my silent escape,' _he thought when he saw the girl running in his direction.

Once she had reached him she grabbed the man by the shoulders and started to shriek, lightly shaking him whilst doing so.

'_Ugh. Just what I damn needed. Really.' _He tried hard not to roll his eyes, which was really difficult with this girl being over-dramatic.

"You can't go; you'll get killed! Please don't go, please!" Her hazel eyes were pleading for the man to stay and her lips slightly quivered.

The young man, Cloud, didn't say anything, nor did he display any emotions on his face or in his eyes. He just looked at her and gently lifted her hands from his shoulders when a sigh escaped his mouth.

"I have to, Cissnei. I'm sorry, but you can't stop me," he apologised, not sounding apologetic at all.

She knew that. Still, she didn't care. Cloud was like this, ever since she met him, and it would not change soon. But he was a dear friend, an ally in the most dangerous fights and so much more. So how could she just let him go like that towards his death?

"You don't even know if he – if there aren't more – is still alive! You don't even _know_ what he's capable of! For the same price he could just decapitate you! And then what? You're going to hunt him as a spirit?"

"If that happens, then yes; I would. I'd do anything to kill him," he answered, starting to get irritated by the girl. He wanted to go, damn it!

"Don't be ridiculous, Cloud! Me and the others don't want you to go on your own; it's too risky." She tried to grab the man again, but he slapped her hands away and took a step back.

"I'm still going, Cissnei. He has caused too much damage to my life and he will pay for it, with his dead body as payment."

He turned his back to Cissnei and strode away without giving the girl a last glance. Without giving another glance to his home that he wouldn't see for a long time.

If not ever again.

The last thing that he heard was his name deadened by the wind that slowly started to become a storm.

"Cloud!"

But he was already gone, engulfed by the shadows of the night.

* * *

A figure was sitting against a lonely tree on a grassy hill, gazing at the dark sky with its pregnant clouds, concealing the billions of gas balls that we like to call stars.

The wind was blowing harshly, shaking the tree and its branches, and detaching the green leaves. A few fell down on the man's head, but he wasn't paying attention to it.

He was thinking and he hated that. He wasn't a man of the thinking art! He preferred to lie lazily around on a warm sunny day.

Except that the sun hadn't appeared this evening. Instead, a storm was coming and it would be raining soon. And the cold wind didn't help either. The man gritted his teeth every time it would bite through his skin and make him just a bit colder.

And then there was the thinking again. The image of his murdered victim wouldn't leave his mind, making him more and more guilty and disgusted with himself because of his acts.

'_Is it really my fault?' _He played a bit with the soft grass and then sighed. _'This can't continue.'_

Zack stood up and wiped his clothes off, cracking his fingers as he slowly marched down the hill, careful not to slip in the process.

"I wonder if _he _could help me…" he mused while dodging rocks and roots sticking out of the ground. Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Of course!"

Zack quickened his pace until he was rushing through the small landscape and he soon enough reached the outskirts of a little town. He skidded to a stop in front of two huge wooden pillars supporting a panel in which the town's name, "Gongaga," was roughly carved.

He grinned at it and then fake saluted while saying, "Good to be back!" and ambled under the panel towards the row of old houses.

'_Nothing has changed,' _he remarked as he passed the neglected gardens that looked so dried out that he doubted it would ever be fertile again. Not that it _ever_ was, so far he could remember from his past as a child.

What did change, quite surprisingly, was the population. A bunch of kids were playing knight and princess on an open place, while the few dogs were supposed to be white, beautiful stallions.

Zack watched wide-eyed, astonished by the view, but chuckled as soon as he saw that one of the dogs ran away with the wooden sword of a little boy in his mouth.

The kid wasn't very happy and Zack noticed that he was going to cry, so he scanned around until he saw the dog, gnawing on the handcrafted toy.

He slowly approached it, his arms spread out in front of him, and motioning with his hands to the dog to stay down, which, of course, failed and thus he and the dog started racing around, Zack cursing every now and again while the kids had gathered together to watch the two chasing each other like cat and mouse.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity to the man, he had succeeded to catch up with the brown spotted dog and fetched the sword.

Out of breath he staggered to the group of children (who were laughing their asses off), and gave the toy back to the boy.

"Here…ya go…kiddo," he managed to say in between gasps. The kid looked from the wooden sword to Zack and back again to the sword, and frowned in disapproval.

"It's covered in _drool_!"

"Yeah, well…just clean…it up," he took a deep breath, "And it'll be like new!"

The kids stared at him like he had grown a second head, and then the boy whined again, taking a step forward.

"But it's **drool**! There's sticky, yucky and really disgusting dog saliva on my sword!" He swung said sword around, making the saliva fly everywhere. The other kids behind the boy were smart enough to step back and avoid it, but others weren't _that_ bright (in this case that would be Zack) and thus, while Zack tried to understand why the kid was making such a fuss over a bit of sticky substance, thick droplets of it dropped onto his black shirt.

"I know it's drool, but why are you being so upset 'bout it? I'm sure you'll get it off with water, or even mud, but then the mud will stick to your- Eww! Gross! There's drool on my shirt!" he screamed.

"See! You find it disgusting too!"

The kids laughed and the man mumbled, trying to wipe _it_ away without _it_ touching his uncovered fingers (he wore fingerless leather gloves) but without avail.

"Oh my, what did we say about not pestering tourists?" An old lady came to stand next to Zack and she looked at the children. They had recognised the voice and quietened down, fixing their gaze on the ground, as if they were ashamed of laughing the poor man out.

"Ah, don't worry old lady! It's just drool; it'll go away once I wash it! And it's not the kids' fault anyway; I just helped this kid getting his wooden sword back," he explained, not quite knowing who she was; he had never seen her.

'_Well it __has__ been a long time since I've came back here…'_

She ignored the fact that this man had just called her 'old lady,' and instead her features softened when she saw that he wasn't lying. He wouldn't be able to lie, anyways. She could tell it right away when a person lied or not.

"Hmm, if you say so. Then may I suggest inviting you into my house so that I can put your shirt in the laundry while you can eat and drink something? You may even rest out, if you want. Normally tourists are always tired when they arrive to our town, so my husband and I have made it a habit to invite them to our house to rest," she said while gently ushering the kids away.

"Bye mister!" They waved to him and he smiled when he, too, waved back.

Then he turned his attention back to the woman and politely declined. "Nah, thanks. I've come to see someone, and I'm sure he has plenty of food! By the way, does he still live here?"

After he had told her the person's name, she nodded and indicated towards a lone house with black windows. He thanked her and ran to it, not even bothering to knock on the door but right off demolished it and quickly found his way up the stairs in the dark. Once he had reached the second floor – without falling on his face – he tiptoed to the last door in the little hallway and very slowly, _very cautiously_, pushed it ajar.

He peered inside, and even though the light in this room was also off like everywhere else in the house (and thus very obscure), thanks to the sharpened view from his vampiric powers, he could still determine a form seated on a chair. It wasn't moving.

Zack went inside the room.

He was careful not to make a single sound – it would give his presence away. With small, sluggish steps he approached the form and halted when he stood behind the chair. He lifted his arms, his fingers tingling, and then he swiftly placed his hands on the form.

"Guess who?" he said in a singsong voice.

The form, or actually the person, grunted and put his hands over Zack's, and prying them off of his eyes. He didn't turn around; instead he grunted even more. "Hmm… Zack?"

A loud whine was heard from behind him and he grinned. Ah well, he knew the silent peace wouldn't have lasted for long. Might as well irritate the boy for ruining that.

"How did you know? You always know it's me!" Zack continued whining, and the person in the chair stood up, facing the young man. "I bet you always cheat, Angeal," he mumbled and looked at his former mentor.

The man hadn't changed a _hair_. Maybe that it started to colour grey, but everything else was the same. He was glad for that and a smile appeared on his face.

Angeal inspected his ex-apprentice and sighed in relief. The young man hadn't changed drastically since the day Zack decided to leave; the only new feature was the cross-like scar on his left cheek.

"Looks like you're still the same, Zack. Zero attention span, restless and whiny like a little puppy. I could detect you immediately after you'd burst into my house. Actually, if I recall correctly, you are the only person I know that has broken more than twenty-five doors. I guess this will be the twenty-sixth?" He chuckled as Zack scratched his head.

"Uhm, yeah, sorry 'bout that. I'll replace it for you. But first," a loud grumble could be heard all over the room, and Zack blushed.

"Do you have any food?"

* * *

Cloud had been wandering for hours now in the sinister forest, avoiding low-hanging branches and everything else that lay on the mushy ground, and he hoped that he would soon be out of this miniature version of a jungle.

The man snorted at that thought. '_Oh yeah, and soon a lion will jump out from behind a big ass rock and eat me up alive. Right, Cloud. So much for wild imagination. Why not add a few pythons and annoying monkeys in it, too?'_

While thinking he didn't notice that the trees were becoming lesser and that he had reached an open clearing. More like a landscape, but it all resembled the same to Cloud; if only he was out of that damn green.

He continued marching until he saw a hill with a lonely tree and decided to walk up to it. Once on the hill, he scrutinized the area and his eyes fell upon a fade light in the distance.

A town.

He calculated the time it would take to reach it, and he decided that, if he ran, it would take less than fifteen minutes to arrive.

He frowned and fastened the strings of his sword holder. He _hated_ running. It always made him gasp for air and hurt his sides. But he didn't want to take the risk to walk, not only because it would take more than thirty minutes, but also because it was going to rain.

'_And I do not want to be wet,'_ he thought bitterly.

With one last check on his equipment to be sure that nothing would fall off while he ran, he started running at a normal pace.

* * *

"Thanks for the dinner," Zack said while massaging his now full tummy with a satisfied smile.

"You're welcome." Angeal couldn't believe it; this boy, his ex-apprentice, had eaten _five bowls_ of rice and chicken! Apparently, it became worse with the times, because when Zack still lived with him, he'd only eat two bowls.

After Zack had helped Angeal clear the table and wash the dishes, they seated themselves on the couch in the living room. With the fireplace ignited, the once gloomy house was now filled with a cosy and warm atmosphere.

The only sound audible was the wood that would sometimes crackle because of the fire, and the wind outside that made "whoosh" noises. And boy, did Zack enjoy the soothing sounds.

Angeal was reading through some newspaper when he laid it down on the mahogany table and lifted one leg over the other to let it rest there. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and cleared his throat. "So, I suppose you came here for a reason and not for an apprentice-and-mentor reunion?" He had specifically waited till now, when the boy was full and at ease, knowing that Zack's attention would jump everywhere with an empty stomach.

Zack momentarily tensed up, and hesitated if he should answer or not. He _did_ after all come for a reason, a very important one in fact.

"Though, before you start, I'm curious: how did you get that scar on your cheek? It doesn't seem to be an old one, either," asked Angeal.

The boy on the couch closed his eyes and sighed, crossing his arms behind his head, a sign the other man knew very well. It meant that Zack didn't want to talk about it.

"Ah well, it's not that important, you can tell me some other time. So, why did you come?" He eyed Zack, waiting.

Zack sat up and rubbed his neck, then placed his hands in his lap. His face became serious, but he knew that Angeal could see the hesitation in his eyes. "I…I wanted to ask…" He searched for words to sentence his thoughts. "I wondered… do we really have to, you know, drink human blood?"

Zack had thought that his former mentor would laugh in his face about how ridiculous that was, but was taken aback by the sheer sadness Angeal's face displayed.

"I mean, can't we try to live on animal blood? It would be the same, right?" he asked.

For a moment, it was very silent, even the wind or the cracking wood didn't make a sound. Then, one of the longest sighs that Zack had ever heard came out of Angeal's mouth.

"You killed a human. Am I right? And it's not the first one, either."

Zack meekly nodded.

"Well, to be completely honest with you: I've never tried drinking animal blood. But I do remember hearing from a good friend a long time ago, that animal blood could kill you. The liquid isn't the same; it has more toxins in it than that from a human. And besides, you'll have to kill more animals in a week instead of two humans per month."

'_And there goes my hope to stop killing humans for our own lives. Bye hope, bet you enjoy torturing me,' _Zack thought sarcastically.

"I know how you feel, Zack. I had to go through it all, too. The murdering, the drinking, the powers. The _changes_. Sometimes I felt disgusting, thought that I was a monster. But if you think differently, humans are disgusting things too. They kill other people, destroy homes and pollute Mother Earth. Really, I think we may consider ourselves lucky."

"Lucky? Are you kidding me? You call _this life_ lucky? I never wished to become a vampire!"

Angeal had expected Zack's outburst, and he took it calmly. He let the boy steam off and then continued, although in a whisper. "I know that, Zack. If I could, I'd change everything back at that time, but it has been done and can't be undone. You would have died and you know it. I only did what my heart told me to do. For the same price I could've let you rot there, but I didn't. I changed you into a vampire, gave you powers and shelter, fed you and taught you how to fight and defend yourself." His eyes were glazed over, his thoughts lost in a far-off memory.

"You have no idea how guilty I felt that night, to make a vampire of you while you were unconscious. I guess I was selfish, and wanted you to live as a vampire instead of dying as a human."

The silent reigned back, and Zack was lost for words. He didn't know – never considered – the feelings of Angeal. He'd often think of himself alone, because hey: he _had_ to survive, but this….this…

This was insane, yet very father-like. And somehow, he felt happy with that, to have someone to look after him and take care of him.

"Angeal… Thanks." It was soft, but the man had heard it, and looked up, his eyes wide. "Thank you for all that you've done for me, really. I don't think I would've come this far without you." He smiled a big toothy grin and stood up, walking over to the man. He took his hand, and squeezed it.

Angeal sat there, flabbergasted (because we _are_ talking about Zack here) and slowly, but firmly, squeezed back, trying to suppress the tears that tried to escape. "You have become a fine young man, Zack. I'm glad to have met you."

"So am I, Angeal. So am I."

* * *

"Finally, I reached it."

Cloud gazed up at the swinging panel, and read the name, "Gongaga." His first stop of his quest of hunting vampires down, and hopefully he had price at the first try.

The dark clouds above had finally decided to let the rain fall, and soon it was heavily pouring down, turning the dry earth and sand around and in the small town into mud.

Cloud cursed. He had tried to run so fast so that he wouldn't be rained upon. Guess Fate didn't want him to stay dry.

Since it was no use to rush anymore, he took a step forward and advanced towards the houses. The lights were turned on in every one of them, but he was not interested in what happened inside or who lived in them.

No, because one lonely house had captured his eye. This one _person_ had sparked his interest. The person, a man, was standing in front of what seemed a broken door that he tried to remake but to no avail, as it would fall right back on the ground.

More like right on the feet of another man that loudly cursed and gripped his injured left foot and then the right foot. The man in front of the cursing one scratched the back of his head and then clapped his hands together and slightly inclined his head to the left, apologising.

Surely this guy couldn't be the one Cid had told him about, right? He looked like someone who could easily trip over his own feet.

'_I really have no luck today,'_ he sighed and turned around, _'Well, up to the next town, then. Maybe I'll be luckier there.'_

He was almost out of town when a smell captured his nostrils. It was faint, but he recognised it: _vampire smell_.

He made a 180-degree turn and came face to face with the clumsy man that he had seen. The black-haired (and very spiky haired, Cloud noticed) man was a few inches taller than the blonde. His skin was tan compared to Cloud's, and his eyes (the same colour as Cloud's) were sparkling for a reason the smaller man didn't know.

On Zack's side: he was actually surprised to see another person, a very handsome person. He found it funny how this kid's hair resembled his, but then less spiky and blonde instead of black. What did spark his interest were his eyes; they had the same shade as him.

He cocked an eyebrow at that. _'How come this kid has the same eye colour?'_ He hadn't the time to ask though. Cloud had unsheathed his sword, First Tsurugi, and the blade was resting against the black-haired man's throat, adding sufficient pressure so that a small trail of blood escaped the fresh cut.

"You _demon_, or should I call you by your true name: vampire?" It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Zack was surprised at first (_'Who the hell does this kid think he is?'_), but it slowly faded away as it was replaced with a knowing grin. He took the blade between two fingers and leisurely pushed it away, enjoying how the pupils of the blonde's eyes somewhat widened.

"Who says I'm a vampire, hmm?"

"Don't try to deny it; I recognise the vampire's scent sprawled all over you!"

"Oh? So you've confronted more vampires? Interesting, very interesting." Zack took a pensive pose and tapped his finger against his chin. This kid could still smell his scent in this rain?

Cloud didn't let his guard down and intensified his glare, his knuckles turning white from gripping the handle of his sword too hard. This vampire was up to something. He could feel it.

Hell, his little toe could feel it.

"Well, I'm not gonna deny it, since it would just be a waste of my time and breath, but you know…"

He had disappeared. Cloud realised too late and he hadn't the time to turn around when he felt a presence behind him, and way too close to him. His body tensed up, as if it was paralysed, and he could feel the warmth radiating from the body behind him.

"I have a name too," the man whispered in Cloud's ear, the hot breath sending cold shivers down his spine. For a short moment Cloud closed his eyes in pleasure, but quickly reopened them when he remembered just who – no, just _what_ – was standing behind him.

He tried to swing his sword but failed, as a strong arm held his own arm down, so instead he tried something else and managed to kick the vampire between his legs.

Zack bit on his lip, holding back a painful groan, as he let his hold on the blonde loosen and placed both hands over his clothed crotch.

'_Fuck, that hurt!'_

Cloud took this chance of distraction to push the vampire against a tree (there were a few trees along the sides of the town) where no one would see them and pin him, his sword for the second time against the man's throat.

"I don't care about your name, but you can't escape me this time, vampire." The blond pressed harder, however the other man didn't stir, neither did he frown. His face was void of emotions, and Cloud idly wondered if the man had finally decided to surrender.

Then a sigh, followed by a chuckle and then a laugh. The blonde cocked an eyebrow. _'He's laughing?'_

Zack was laughing, indeed. He found this situation quite hilarious, though he didn't know why. For Heaven's sake, he had a blade pushing against his throat ready to cut through his skin!

His guffaws ended in chortles when he tried to gasp for air. It had been a long time since he last laughed this much! This kid sure was interesting!

"I never intended to escape, ya know. I was just a bit intrigued by your appearance and tried to determine if you could fight or not. Which I, after the kick and a second time being defenceless with a sword poking to my throat, concluded that you are a pretty good fighter. Lemme guess… mercenary?" He had that playful look on his face again, and it unnerved Cloud.

"You mean you were testing me," the blonde said in a low and dangerous whisper, his eyes glistening with what could be compared to rage, "To simply know if I _could _**fight**?"

Zack nodded, unsure why the kid's attitude has suddenly changed. Cloud lowered his head, his bangs covering his aquamarine eyes, and gritted his teeth.

"Are you **fucking** kidding me?!" he screamed as he dropped First Tsurugi from the man's throat and instead thrust the point of the blade into the tree's trunk, creating a rather deep gash in the vampire's side whilst doing so.

Zack winced in pain, as he could smell his blood coming out of the fresh wound, but quickly forgot about it when the blonde abruptly took him by the front of his shirt and brought his face close to his.

"Don't _test_ me, vampire. I will kill you and the rest of your race, so don't fucking test me," he sneered.

If Zack was surprised before when he first saw the kid, then he was astonished by now. Not only had he been careless around the blonde, but the guy had cut him too. And it wasn't common for a vampire to be wounded by a human, and certainly not a Vampire 1st Class. This kid sure was different from all the other humans he had met (and killed, but that's just detail).

Somehow, he didn't want this guy to slaughter him – nor Angeal. Besides, having a mercenary by your side could always be helpful. This kid was cute, too.

'_But just asking him to be my ally wouldn't work, I think. So the only option available is turning him into a vampire and making him mine.'_ He sniggered at that thought.

Oh, the thrills he will have with the little blonde.

"I'm not gonna test you anymore, kid. As a matter of fact, you will become someone who'll help me." With that he pushed himself away from the trunk and switched positions, so that now it was Cloud's turn to be pinned against the tree.

Zack pulled the sword out of the trunk and threw it behind him so that the blonde wouldn't pull any other tricks and wound him more. This time it was he that neared his face to the blonde's, and stared for a while into those mesmerizing azure eyes.

He'd noticed that the colour changed in reaction to the blonde's feelings, and that nagging feeling that he had felt before came back.

Cloud was paralysed once again, although this time for a different case. This time it wasn't because he was nervous or scared, but because the vampire was staring intently at him, causing him to feel all warm in his belly.

Was it because the vampire was using his vampiric charms? Or was it really his own feelings? He hadn't the time to think further about it, as the black-haired man closed in, and for a moment Cloud thought he would kiss him.

'_Oh my God, I'm going to be raped by a vampire! Damn you, fate! Damn you and your friends in hell!'_

His ranting in his mind stopped when he felt the urge again to close his eyes when the vampire breathed in his ear and slowly nibbled at his earlobe.

A moan formed in his throat but he wouldn't let it escape it, no way in hell! He lifted his hands and put them on the other man's chest, feeling the fast beating of his heart through the clothing, and tried to pry the man off him, but it quite failed.

Zack was enjoying this, oh yes he was. The blonde was just too cute and molestable. He had heard the soft moan of the guy when he had nibbled on his earlobe, and he already loved that sound. And was the kid massaging his chest?

Nevertheless, time was pressing, and he had to continue with his task. He could always torment the kid later, since they would have all the time of the world.

He left the blonde's ear and descended his mouth to the nape of his neck, revealing his white fangs and was ready to sink them into the soft, tender skin…

When he abruptly stopped.

He pushed himself away from the blonde, eyes wide, mouth agape and a quivering finger pointing to the boy.

"Y-You…" He gulped and tried to form the words in his mouth. "You're already a vampire…"

And the blonde looked at him, the colour of his eyes changing from azure to aquamarine, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Yes, I am."

And that's all Zack could remember before he got engulfed by darkness when the blonde came charging at him and knocked Zack unconscious.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**A/N:** ...Damn. Do I have the permission to feel a tad bit proud? Because I definitely am. Ugh, I just hope the characters didn't go too much OOC. I think not, since I paid attention to Zack's attitude and whatever in Crisis Core and Cloud... well let's say he's an easy character to write and stuff. Angeal wasn't that hard, either. Cissnei though... Gyah. I'm glad she'll only appear once in a while in this fic. Not that I don't like her (she's pretty cool), but I just don't know how to crawl into her skin (that sounded weird). So uhh.. hope you enjoyed it... My first vampfic... That's prolly to become my fave (OTF? One True Fic?) (...o,o). And you _know_ what that means, ne? -wiggle eyebrows- Faster UPDATES!

...I hope D:

Side note about the first chapter: I used Zack's hometown Gongaga, with a few changes here and there. Nothing too drastically changed, of course. And totally forgot about washing the drool off Zack's shirt (-.-"). Ah well, it was just a bit of drool, it wouldn't be noticeable after a while. And then for Cloud's sword: it _is_ First Tsurugi, right? I'm not sure about that... Anyway, the storm: forgot to describe/mention this, but yes: the last part is happening in the rain and stuff. Sorry to forget that fact. Ahahaha.. Right. Last thing to mention: Cloud's eyes. Like you all know, he has azure eyes, and they change in that strange aquamarine colour when he's angry or any other strong emotion. Well, I used that in this. Voilà, simple comme un petit cake. (I should definitely stop writing French.. ("o.o) )

**Review, please! Thank youuu! (OwO)**


	2. Unexpected

**A/N:** Whew, so many reviews! You're all great and I love you all! :D. And so sorry for the delay of this chapter, but I'm doing my best to update as soon as possible!  
Now, for this chapter… well, I like it even more than the first chapter. There's a lot more action, drama and just nice stuff in it. You'll even understand the story better. I'll tell you the rest in the A/N at the end of the chapter.

My lovely reviewers (who all have cool pen names, lol):

**firefox999:** lol, sorry for the cliffie :p  
**Caius:** ahaha, I can do that too, though it asks a lot of efforts :D  
**Death Can't Be Trusted:** it wasn't my intention to make from Cloud a vampire, but aw heck :p  
**zilldk:** merci beaucoup :)  
**Shirosenshi Kisetsu 116:** updated!  
**Junichi:** yeah ;D  
**xXFlamingPyroPunkXx:** hoho, I know :p  
**Obsessive-Compulsive-KSARA:** yays for molested Cloud! xD  
**caro_cupcake:** here you go  
**Serolina:** yeah :p it's fun to let him be molested.  
**DeathsRain:** updated :)  
**DecededHeart:** you saw me? :O  
**ForeverFallen304:** you'll find out now :p  
**Blue-Eyed-Beast-of-Destiny:** whoa, you guessed it right! Ö  
**spopococ:** muaha, you're evil too with plot twists :p and cliffies. GODDAMN THE CLIFFIES!  
**redkittychan:** yummy-ness for you :D  
**Brunette S Angel:** they are sexy vampires indeed x3  
**…:** thanks!  
**CrimsonSanctum:** gods, you made me laugh a lot with that review xD.  
**Reading Rainbow 06:** it was an accidental twist :p yeah, France is nice, especially Avignon and La Camarque (for the horse-riding). Vive la France pour ses chevaux! xD.

* * *

**Previously in chapter 1:** Zack travelled to Gongaga to speak to his ex-mentor Angeal and ask questions about their living method as a vampire. Meanwhile, Cloud (a mercenary and vampire hunter), also went to Gongaga in hope to find a trail. Unknowingly, he did. Both males encountered and Zack discovered Cloud's secret that he's also a vampire. But before he could ask anything, Cloud attacked and Zack fell down on the ground losing his consciousness.

**Warnings:** violence, blood, bit of language, Yaoi.

**Beta****: **Reizbar-Ookami. She makes this fic really good thanks to her beta skills.

**Disclaimer:** I can hear the reindeers from afar! Does that mean I get Zack and Cloud for Christmas? –looks at her gift list- … Aw, crap. They aren't on my list D: Ah well, there's still my birthday…

* * *

_Are we alive, are we insane  
Trying to disguise so much pain  
Are we alive, or are we betrayed  
Who gives a damn about it anyway?_

-Are We Alive by Vertical Horizon

* * *

**Fang II: Unexpected (But Not Really)**

"_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end,"_ pale lips moved slowly, speaking every word with different emotions laced in his voice and in such a poetic way none would ever be able to imitate.

"_The goddess descends from the sky."_

A silence, then a satisfied sigh and crimson clad hands closed the novel and put it away. The man closed his eyes and leaned a bit backwards, gazing at the dark sky. It was close to midnight, though there were no stars tonight: big menacing grey clouds were hovering high above the earth, ready to bombard everything with raindrops.

"Philosophizing again, Genesis?"

The addressed one opened his eyes and aquamarine orbs looked at the owner of the voice.

"Sephiroth, how strange to see you here. I thought you were in Midgar creating chaos?"

A tall man, wholly dressed in black clothes, stepped out of the shadows of the trees, the faint light of the moon's part that wasn't hidden behind clouds reflecting on the long silver hair and pale skin. Eyes with the same blue-green colour and a bit of grey looked amused at Genesis, who still waited an answer on his question.

"I was, but it seemed like I didn't need to go, since everything's already in ruins. Unlucky, for once, but there are plenty other places to go to and destroy." The intruder came closer towards the huge rock Genesis was sitting on and chuckled darkly.

"My, my. It is rare to see you without that favourite literature of yours. Finally got tired of it and threw it away?"

Genesis sighed and flicked his head lightly so that his auburn hair didn't irritate his vision, before drawing back his novel and holding it like he was afraid to lose it.

"I never get tired of '_Loveless'_ and even if I did get tired of it, I would never throw it away like some piece of crap. Besides, I wouldn't be the man I am today if I'd never found this masterpiece. Everything that is written inside this novel holds a truth none could ever understand if they don't seek for the gift of the goddess." He jumped off the rock, his long crimson cloak following behind him, and stopped in front of Sephiroth.

"But I have decoded every hidden truth, and I have found the gift." A purple kind of apple appeared in his other hand, holding it between their bodies. Sephiroth regarded it with no real interest and a bit of confusion.

"A dumbapple?" he questioned.

"I prefer its name Banora White or Banora apple, but yes; this _dumbapple_ is a link to the true gift of the goddess: the gift of eternal life, power, and mystery itself." It was hard not to show his excitement through his recently discovered information. He raised his hand above his head and fixed his gaze upwards.

"_She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting!"_

Genesis was so engrossed in his thing that he noticed too late that the apple wasn't in his hand anymore. His brows met when they furrowed in perplex and he lowered his gaze again as he heard a crunching sound next to him.

Sephiroth, with an evil gleam in his eyes, was eating the dumbapple that he had held. When he was finished he threw the rest away, never looking away from the other man. He smirked, then.

"Nothing special about it. The taste is just a bit sweeter than a normal apple, but I feel no further changes in me, nor do I see a woman fall down the sky. I guess this means that all what is written in your book is crap." He'd expected the angry glare and the growling sound that emitted out of Genesis's mouth. It thrilled him, to see his ex-friend like that.

His reasons? He had none, which bothered him but never let it gnaw at his mind. He'll find out, sooner or later.

Sephiroth's pleasure diminished, though, as the other man calmed down. Well, more like tried; he had a firm grip on _Loveless_. He breathed slowly through his nose, his muscles relaxing.

"It is not crap," he pointed a finger at the tall male, "You just don't realize how important this is. The power doesn't come from the Banora apple, but from the goddess, and she shall come when it's time."

"Right. I don't believe it, but I don't care either. The reason I'm here is not to talk about forecasts, even though I've spent more than thirty minutes of my time listening to your fortune-telling, but about more important matters. So I will ask you as kindly as I can: Please shut your mouth about goddesses and gifts, or I will give you a painful death." He crossed his arms in front of his half-bare chest, his face blank of emotions.

Genesis gritted his teeth, every cell in his body commanding him to attack, but he choose for the safer option and hopped back on his rock. At least like this he would have time to flee if Sephiroth tried anything funny.

"Ah, as clever as always; picking the right choice so that you don't get involved in too dangerous things. Though you probably struggled with your mind to attack me or not…" The glare that Genesis sent him proved him right.

He chuckled, "Even vampires can die, Genesis. You've seen it in the past, when I wiped out all those filthy humans and treacherous vampires who lived among the mortals like they were normal themselves. I bet that wound I inflicted on you back then still aches when I'm around."

Genesis cringed suddenly, like he had totally forgotten the pain from the long scar on his back that only reacted in the presence of the silver-haired male.

He tsk'ed and spoke, "Vampires can't die that easily, especially not us. Those vampires you murdered weren't like us; their blood and strength were weaker and their minds worked differently than ours. They tried to interact with humans, and they succeeded until you arrived and ruined the peace they had created between human and vampire." His voice cracked at the end, and he was sure that Sephiroth had heard it, but the man showed no sign of it.

"Ah yes, I did indeed. It was quite enjoyable to hear them scream and see their blood-soaked bodies, trying to run away. As if they could run away from the devil… And if I remember correctly, six vampires of the male gender tried to stop me. Three of them went down like sunken ships, too weak to even withstand one attack."

This is where Genesis stopped breathing, locking his gaze with Sephiroth's. He knew all too well what the man was going to say next. He knew it, because he was there too, years ago in that little village.

Sephiroth continued, getting satisfaction out of the auburn-haired vampire's reactions. This was too much fun. "The other three followed me out of Nibelheim: Angeal, his apprentice and… **you**. We fought for a while, Angeal's apprentice already unconscious, just the three of us like the good old times. But then I had to leave, thanks to that Buster Sword our dear friend wielded. I had to recover three full months until the wound was closed."

"Serves you right, with all the pain and suffering you brought upon us," Genesis said bitterly. How many times hadn't he tried to forget that memory? A lot: too much to count. At least he had tried to heal his mental wounds, but Sephiroth just tore them back open. He even enjoyed it, seeing the smirk on his face grow.

"True, but it's not like you're unthankful, either. Angeal's apprentice, Zack, _did_ make your heart flutter. Always challenging him to a fight, even though the boy was only a new vampire. You never bothered that much with 'newborns' than you did with him. But I guess that, since you're travelling on your own, that Angeal kicked you out and disappeared together with the boy. How unfortunate for you."

Sephiroth finally sat down on a tree trunk, tired of having to stand for such a long time, and tried to read all the different kind of emotions on Genesis's face.

Yes, Genesis was mad, and sad. He missed _his_ Zack. There wasn't any intimate relationship between them; frankly Zack didn't like Genesis at all. It was more like he was forced into everything, from fights to touches. But he never did get far, because the boy's guardian and mentor had seen through Genesis's intentions. Angeal had taken his possession away from him. He wanted him back, but didn't know how. He got interrupted from his second mind struggle when Sephiroth's smooth voice broke through.

"I also found someone quite interesting. It was before the six of you tailed me; I found a boy in the middle of the burning village of Nibelheim, under the debris of a burned down house. Only half alive, but still enough stamina to punch me in the jaw."

The silver-haired male brought a hand to his left cheek. "It hurt, and I got mad, so I tilled the boy by the front of his shirt. I think he was sixteen, though he didn't weigh a lot. Pale skin, marvellous eyes so bright and full of rage; the most perfect sight I'd ever seen so far. I had to mark him, make him mine." He turned his head to Genesis, who was listening with concentration. Sephiroth smiled, and the man on the rock almost fell off.

"I did it. I made of him a vampire. But I left him behind; his body started to reject the vampire cells that tried to transform his human cells. He was a lost cause, what a terrible shame. I'd bet my life that he would've become one powerful vampire." Sephiroth closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

Genesis blinked. "That's it? He's dead?" How could the silver-haired man be so sure that this boy he had bitten was dead if he had turned his back on him before he actually saw that the kid wasn't breathing anymore?

He jumped back off the rock and walked towards Sephiroth, his novel still in his hand. He waited, because he knew Sephiroth was going to say something more.

"No, he's alive."

The clouds above them were thicker and a darker shade of grey; any moment now before the first drops would fall. Sephiroth slowly opened his eyes, locking them with Genesis's aquamarine orbs and chuckled darkly before saying the words that brought the man's hopes back up.

"He's alive, and together with your precious Zack."

And the shower of rain started.

* * *

It was cold. So, so cold and he wanted the freezing feeling to stop, the needles of ice hurting him everywhere.

It was hot. Too warm to stay asleep. The pain and aches burned him, making his body scream in protest when he moved.

Zack shot awake and gasped loudly, trying to catch his breath while a small droplet of sweat rolled down his forehead. His eyes scanned the place, distress clearly showing in them; the whole scenery was unfamiliar to him.

He was facing a huge temple in ruins, pieces of pillars scattered around, and most of the statues had lost their head. There was a campfire four feet away from him, just in front of what had to be the entrance to the monument.

And he was alone, feeling sick and weak.

Still disoriented, he tried to stand up, but couldn't move an inch. Looking down he understood why: solid chains had him attached to a pillar he was sitting against, making it impossible for him to escape.

Zack groaned and closed his eyes. '_No way'_, he thought and gathered his strength in his arms, trying to break the chains.

"I wouldn't do that; the chains are pretty unbreakable, even for vampires. You'll only hurt yourself more."

The voice had startled Zack and he whipped his head to his right, where the blonde from earlier was casually standing. Zack relaxed his muscles immediately, too busy with gaping at the young man and forgetting his plan to flee.

The blonde approached, but without sharing a glance to the other one, and sat down at the campfire, facing the dark-haired male. He took something out of his pocket and when Zack squinted his eyes, he noticed it was his silver necklace he had gotten from Angeal for his first birthday as a vampire.

Anger surfaced and he growled, no longer thinking about the cold chills and heat waves he felt mere moments ago.

"Give that back!" He pulled and wiggled fiercely, trying to get a chain loose so that he could easily break out from the others holding him and rip off the blonde's head like all the statues.

His efforts were fruitless; nothing budged. Instead, a sharp pain warned his nerves connected to his brains and he screamed. The blonde was in front of his feet, holding the handle of his sword whose end was half hiding in Zack's side, on the same place where the other one had hurt him before.

"I don't think so," he said icily.

Zack's nostrils picked up the scent of his own blood, and he could feel the warm and precious life fluid seeping out of his deep wound.

"Urgh…S-shit!" He gritted his teeth, keeping his eyes clenched shut. The other male cocked an eyebrow and stared at the rather pitiful sight of the vampire, then at his sword and back to the vampire's flushed face. His pupils slightly widened and he lowered his body so that he was at eye-level with the dark-haired male.

Sure of himself that the man couldn't do anything in his state, he outstretched his arm and softly touched the man's forehead, only to quickly retreat it.

"Interesting," he mumbled. He repeated his action and let his fingers wander along the handsome face and gripping the vampire's chin, so that the man was forced to look at him. It took a while for Zack to reopen his eyes, but when he did he wished he never had.

The blonde was too close, and he could practically snuff the other one's scent. It wasn't repulsive, more like something special that he'd never smelled before. He gazed up and saw those azure eyes, a sign that the blonde wasn't angry or anything else.

A sign that he was a normal person at the moment.

It was strange: normally once you're a vampire, you can't hide the aquamarine colour that infected your irises. Unless you were a special vampire, and there existed only four of them: Angeal, Genesis, the epitome of evil who goes by the name Sephiroth, and himself.

So did this mean that this boy, this vampire, was someone like him? A Vampire 1st Class? But how? Neither Angeal nor Genesis could've bitten him, since they were always with Zack, and Sephiroth wasn't really someone who gets interested in humans.

He didn't ponder any longer; the burning agony made him gasp again, wave after wave of painful spasms going through his body. The blonde was removing his sword, and it hurt like hell. Heck, it was the second time on the same day (more like night) that he had been pierced in the same place!

"You have a very high fever, and normally you should have been dead by now. I guess your vampire cells made your immune system stronger, so that you can even survive a fever that would kill every other being." The blonde walked away to sit back at the fire, throwing branches in it so that it wouldn't go out.

Zack took this opportunity to ask him a question that burned on his tongue. "Why do you chase and kill vampires when you're one of our kind?"

A silence followed, but not for long. "Because those monsters murdered my family and destroyed my village. Also, one of them changed me, making me live this rotten life as a blood-sucker." The blonde paused. "So I decided to extinct every one of them, give them slow and very painful deaths. A reminder of what they have done to all their victims and me. And guess what?"

He stood up again, marching forward and circling the pillar where Zack was, before halting and looking down at the man, achievement written all over the blonde's face.

"There are no more vampires, except for you and the one who has bitten me. Unless you still have friends that I don't know of and earn my visit?"

"No, not really. I'm kind of a loner, travelling the world on my own without really knowing where I'm going. I just got held back because one little bastard with Chocobo hair suddenly attacked me and chained me up against a pillar in a strange place." And that's where he'd gone too far. He knew it, but couldn't really stop himself from saying it.

He waited for a blow, or another bloody injury, but none came. In fact, a smirk had appeared on the blonde's lips, which made him look a tad bit scary.

"It's not really my fault, vampire. I'm a vampire hunter, after all. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Be glad that I let you live, because with what you did to me," both thought back to when Zack had pinned the blonde against a tree, "I would have ripped your heart out if it weren't for the interesting aura that's floating around you."

"That's very kind of you, but I would appreciate it if you didn't call me _vampire_ all the time. I do have a name, you know, and it's Zack Fair." He grinned a bit, even if it came out as a grimace, with the fever and injury and stuff.

"Well _Zack_, my name is Cloud Strife, and I may call you whatever I want. You're the one chained up, not me."

Zack cursed, and he saw Cloud trying to muffle a chuckle. '_Hm, this kid doesn't seem to be that bad, if you're on his good side, that is. And I don't think I'll ever be on that side, since I'm a prey to his hunt,'_ the dark-haired male thought.

Suddenly a loud explosion cut through the air followed by a second one and the earth quivered underneath the two young men. Cloud gripped his sword firmly and turned around. Smoke could be seen, rising in the nightly sky and a faint orange light in the distance. He had a bad feeling, a very bad one. He scrutinized the area, ignoring Zack's whining to release him, when a man jumped out of the dark forest.

The blonde took a defensive stance, not realizing that he was instinctively protecting his captive, and tried to identify the intruder. He was tall, wore black clothes except for his crimson cloak and gloves. His auburn hair was wet and his aquamarine eyes were glued to Cloud.

Or rather the person _behind_ the blonde. The man came forwards, taking big steps and in mere seconds he was in front of Cloud. The blonde raised his sword but stopped: the man passed him, totally ignoring his presence, when he crouched down next to Zack, caressing his cheek.

Cloud saw the fear, the anger, and many more dark emotions he couldn't recognize in Zack's orbs, and he knew instantly that this man was not only very strong, but also one of the vampires who survived.

"Oh Zack, my dear precious Zack. How much I've wanted to see you again," the man said, not stopping with the caresses. But then his attitude changed, a murdering aura emitting from him. His fingers went down, and seeing how Zack hissed, the man was touching the wound. He brought his hand back up, the crimson liquid glistening on his glove.

"You did this." He turned his attention to the blonde. "You hurt my Zack; you wounded his perfect body! I'm going to kill you!"

Without a warning, the man lurched forward, his fangs bared and ready to tear Cloud's throat open.

He didn't get a chance, though. A long and thin sword held the man away from the blonde, and when Cloud saw it, his shoulders tensed.

"Oh fuck."

He dared to glance over his shoulder, and almost fainted at what he saw. The same gleaming colour like before, when his town got attacked and someone had gotten him out from under the debris. The same evil smirk like when he had felt a stinging pain at his neck. And the same silver hair he had seen when this person had left him for dead.

Sephiroth, the strongest vampire in history who had wiped out almost his entire race and had been searching for him as long he could remember. His nightmare was standing right behind him, with his Masamune in his hand.

"Cloud, it's good to see you healthy and well; it has been a while." The smooth voice gave the blonde goose-bumps, and he tried not to break under the male's gaze.

"You," was all he said. And apparently, that was all Sephiroth needed. He swung his long sword and missed Cloud and the other two by an inch. The blonde shuffled backwards, away from the evil bastard and towards the forest. Naturally, Sephiroth followed him; now that he had found his toy again, he wasn't going to let him escape.

The silver-haired man summoned fireballs and aimed at Cloud, who successfully avoided them and hid in the shadows of the trees, going further without losing sight of Sephiroth. It was a battle against creator and experiment, and the mere thought of it enraged Cloud so much that he got blinded by it and charged head-straight. Sephiroth awaited him with his trademark smirk.

Meanwhile, Zack and the man were alone. The dark-haired male couldn't believe it that _he_ was back, together with Sephiroth, the vampire he had fought against together with Angeal and _him_.

"Why are you still alive, Genesis?" he finally dared to open his mouth, uttering the wrong words.

The cold glare he received made him shiver. But then the man's facial expression softened and he detached Zack, throwing the chains aside. He looked bewildered, because he wouldn't have expected Genesis to release him. There was something fishy about this.

And he always trusted his instincts, because it had saved his life uncountable times. Even now, when he quickly evaded a destructive punch that was aimed at his head.

"Hah, I should have known that you weren't going to let me go that easily. Pity, I'm not really in the mood for a fight." '_And not in the state, either,'_ he thought when he glanced downwards at his blood-soaked shirt, where the deep cut was stinging every time he moved or breathed.

"Of course not, my Zack. After all that time seeking for a trail that would lead to you, and now, thanks to Sephiroth, I'm going to have you back." He took a step forth.

"And I'm still alive, but not thanks to Angeal. I survived on my own without any troubles. Besides, even if there was no other soul but me, I still have my loving novel accompanying me everywhere I go." A second step, and a third.

Zack's mind yelled at him to run, but his legs didn't move. Instead, he took a defiant stance, his head held high and his arms crossed in front of his chest. The action hurt, but he pretended of nothing. "You mean _Loveless_? You're still carrying that around? I thought you would be sick of it, reading it tons of times, over and over again," he grinned, even though it was forced. No way he could really enjoy this conversation with someone like Genesis around.

Said man momentarily stopped, and soft laugher reached Zack's ears. Genesis brought a hand up and swayed it from left to right, the laughing dying down to a low chuckle.

"Funny, Sephiroth told me just the same thing, except for a few different words here and there. I can see clearly now that he too has rubbed off on to you. Even though you would never admit it out loud, you admired him like a hero, and wanted to become just like him."

Zack lips formed a thin line, clenching his jaw together. Ouch, he had almost forgotten _that_. And also that now, the man was practically inches away from him.

Genesis put one hand to each side of Zack's head, boxing him in. He approached his face, his breath touching the dark-haired male's ear. "Now, enough chit-chat. We'll have plenty of time for that later. What I desire the most now, is you." He emphasized this with licking the earlobe and descending to Zack's neck, who was struggling with his mind for a plan.

In the end, he kicked him in the crotch and dived between Genesis's knees, running towards the temple. He couldn't get really far; he had lost too much blood and the running made him dizzy and his side ache.

But he could reach the broken marble door before something pulled at the back of his shirt and he fell with a sickening thud on the stony ground. The young man groaned and gripped the back of his head where he had fallen on. He didn't feel anything moist, so he wasn't bleeding there, but he sure had one helluva headache.

'_Great,'_ he thought. '_Now I don't only have a freaking hole in my side and a damn fever that won't go down, but I also had to have a fucking headache. Fuck Karma, I really hate you.'_

A sudden weight was straddling his hips and he opened his eyes to see that Genesis was smiling delightfully evil. That bothered him; when Genesis was like that, it never meant something good, and he knew from experience that he should **really** run away now.

Hands started to roam freely on his clothed chest, taking their sweet, sweet time to enjoy every feeling. _'It's seriously time to take action before this goes too far.'_ Although he doubted that he could inflict any serious damage to the man on top of him.

But trying couldn't hurt, right? So he tried. It took Zack some serious efforts to find some strength, and since his Buster Sword was nowhere to be seen ('_How come I didn't notice I never had it on me since I'm conscious again?')_, he was forced to use his bare hands.

And it worked, for a moment; Genesis was too strong (or Zack was too weak, though he wouldn't admit that fact). So for once he decided to let his brains work intensely, and he grinned when he found a solution.

'_Ah, how stupid of me not to think about it sooner!'_ He swiftly grabbed Genesis's cape, searched around the inside of it, and when his hand held on something firm, he drew it back and laughed evilly—in his own wicked voice, which resembled strongly a strangled puppy.

Strangled puppies aside, it worked; he had gotten the man's attention, whose eyes were wide in horror as he stared at his treasured novel. Zack kept his arm still for a moment, and then without a warning threw it in the big flames of the campfire.

Now, Zack hadn't thoroughly thought about it, so the reaction he received wasn't what he had expected, and only two words in bold, red letters where blinking in his mind:

**Wrong. Move.**

Genesis growled fiercely, like some kind of angered lion whose territory just had been invaded by strangers, and he couldn't get away because the man was still straddling his hips. Only when Genesis finally unsheathed his red Rapier, did Zack know that he was in some serious shit.

"You never change, Zack. And that's what I like so much about you," he said through clenched teeth, before bringing his Rapier down and puncturing Zack's right shoulder.

* * *

A deafening scream resounded through the air, alarming Cloud whom was still fighting against Sephiroth.

Their swords kept meeting, sparks flying off when they did, before retreating to charge again and again. The trees that were around them were half destroyed, and both males were getting tired but they showed no sign of giving up.

He had to hurry, he knew Zack was in danger and he had to go save him. He froze when that thought crossed his mind, giving the opportunity to the silver-haired male to give a blow in the chest. The blonde flew a few feet away before his back hit a trunk. He gasped, but stood back on his feet.

He wasn't going to let himself be beaten by someone who took his life as a normal human away. If he couldn't kill the man, then he was going to beat his ass so that he'd never come back again. With renewed strength he lurched forth like a rocket, his First Tsurugi close to his body.

Sephiroth was caught by surprise; not only did Cloud not give up, but he was also faster than mere minutes ago. And what was that coppery taste in mouth?

He coughed, and blood dripped of his chin. Cloud stood in front of him, his eyes ablaze and infected by wrath. Sephiroth glanced down, and saw the sword sticking in his abdomen. He had been hit, he, the almighty vampire?

The blonde removed the sword with one pull and saw how the silver-haired man fell down on his knees. He was exhausted, too, but couldn't give in to his fatigue just yet; he had to see this monster die, and save the other vampire.

Alas, Sephiroth was severely wounded, but didn't give his last breath. Instead his whole body shook, laughing insanely like a madman. He rose with much difficulty and stared at Cloud.

"This isn't over yet, Cloud. We'll meet again, so prepare yourself," he said, before turning around and vanishing in the deepest shadows of the night.

The blonde sighed in relief. At least he was rid of him for a while longer. "Hopefully we won't see each other again too soon, Sephiroth," he said and started running to where he had heard Zack's scream.

* * *

When he arrived at the temple, he saw two figures lying on the ground; he instantly recognized Zack. And the situation he was in didn't look too favourable.

He dashed ahead and when he got close enough, he swung his sword and almost had Genesis's arm cut off, when the red Rapier clanked against his weapon.

"You again?" Genesis wondered. Cloud took the chance to quickly look at the young man and inwardly winced. The sight was awful; too much blood was pooling around the body instead of coursing through Zack's veins, and the added fever didn't help much.

In short, he had to get him out of here quickly, or he would perish.

He turned his attention back to Genesis who regarded him with disgust. Cloud prepared himself, taking his defensive stance again and ready to lash out if he saw a suspect move. Which he found quite funny, since every move of this man was quite suspect, actually.

But Genesis didn't attack, just glared. He then drew his weapon back and sheathed it. Getting off Zack he turned his back on them, walking away like nothing had ever happened. He halted his movements, though, and gazed up at the sky.

"_Even if the morrow is barren of promises."_ He looked over his shoulders, first at Zack then at Cloud. _"Nothing shall forestall my return."_

And he too, just like Sephiroth, disappeared in thin air.

"Heh, they really **are** powerful. Wouldn't expect less from them," Zack uttered. His shoulder hurt like hell and his vision was blurring. He was going to be unconscious once more, and for the first time he feared he wouldn't wake up again.

Zack tried to sit up and hissed, alarming Cloud and the young man quickly crouched next to him, dropping his sword now that the danger was gone and putting his hands on the other one's shoulders.

"Don't move, you'll only worsen the injuries." He pushed Zack down, carefully, and went to the campfire to retrieve his bag that he had left there. When he was back at Zack's side, he sat down and started to attend the wounds.

"Why are you helping me? I thought you hated me, and the other vampires…"

Cloud remained silent. True, he didn't really understand himself; why was he helping one of his enemies? Shouldn't he just finish him off, like all the other vampires he had taken their lives from? It was so complicated, but ever since he had laid his eyes on this young man, he couldn't look away anymore, like he had been entranced.

"I…I don't really know."

"Hm, it's alright. I don't mind; you're pretty cute after all. It's an honour to be doctored by you," he said, smiling as the blonde blushed.

"S-shut up, or I'll accidentally add a new wound," he mumbled. What the heck was going on? There shouldn't be a cosy atmosphere like this in the air! Goddamn, this vampire was turning him insane, and he wasn't sure that it was a good or a bad change.

But when he saw Zack drift slowly to unconsciousness, with an honest smile on his face, he thought that, even though it'll take a while to get used to it, a new change wouldn't be that bad.

"You don't have to worry; I'll be there at your side when you wake up."

"Yeah, I know," Zack whispered, before totally drifting away and forgetting all the pain and the events that happened, replacing them by blank dreams.

'_Yes, I know.'_

**To be continued…**

* * *

**A/N:** not such of a cliffhanger, neither a plot twist. Next chapter though… Hehehe.  
Anyway, I love _Loveless_ as much as Genesis does (but I'm not depending on it with my life), and I just wanted to add a few little sentences of it into this. It suits, I think. And it fills the pages :D. so, this is the first time Genesis and Sephiroth appear in this fic, right? Well, they're cool. And I have so much sympathy for Sephiroth with all that happened to him. Oh! Oh! I have two questions for you all:

**Do you think that Genesis died at the end of Crisis Core?**

&

**What is the gift of the goddess?**

I know the answer! :D but I want to let you guess first before I spoil it in the third chapter.

And there will happen a lot in it. And a bit of smutty-ness too, for all the Yaoi fans :p. we can't let Cloud and Zack be enemies forever now, can we? Well sure, it is possible, but where's the fun in that? Besides, it is about time that those two taste a bit of each other, hahaha.

Please review (with the answers, if you want)! :D

**Merci beaucoup!**


	3. Failures

**A/N: **First of all, my apologies for the wait. You may kill me, I deserve it D: Anyways. OMG, so many reviews, hits, faves, alerts!! Ah, you guys make me all shiny and giddy and stuff x3. Thanks for all the feedback, you're all adorable sweethearts :3 You all rock!! And they were all nice and funny reviews; had to laugh a lot. Not like in, 'I laugh at you', but at what you wrote because it was funny...err..you know what I mean. And whoa dudes, you all answered right on the questions:

**Do you think Genesis died at the end of FFVII:CC?  
**Nope, he didn't. You can see him at the end of the game Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. Though he doesn't resemble the smexy Genesis we know from Crisis Core. In DoC he looks a bit old.. and like Gackt :D Or that's what I read anyways. So yeah, not dead.

**What's the 'Gift of the Goddess'?  
**Now that's a tough one. Many of you answered the dumbapples, which is right, but there also the power, eternal life, etc... Those kinds of things. Genesis was a bit of a philosopher, eh? All in all, I don't think we'll ever now what the _true _gift of the goddess is. Unless we all abduct Tetsuya Nomura, lock him up in some kind of eerie cave, and start torturing him with feathers... or something :D

Now, about this chapter: it's weird and unbeta'd. It will be, but just not yet. I was too excited to post this chapter already that I just said to myself, "Ah, what the heck, it can still be edited another time!" So there. Exsqueeze me for any mistakes. Je suis only human, after all. Back to the weird stuff. You'll learn more about Zack and Cloud, why this and why that. Oh, and the suspense at the end of the chapter, hohoho ;D

**PS: **Genesis has a crush on the Banora apples... LOL. Yeah spopococ, that's my answer to your "WTF IS THAT WITH THE DUMBAPPLES". I know dear, I know. You think he also has a crush on his book Loveless?

* * *

**Warnings:** blood, suspense, boy's love. You know the warnings by heart now.

**Disclaimer: **well obviously it would be fucking awesome if I owned Zack and Cloud, because hey: don't we all dream to lock those two up in a room (with a hidden camera so that we can see everything) for hours, hoping for some good boy smut and lovin'? Yes, we do. It's a blissful sin, my dears. Unfortunately Square-Enix doesn't think it's a good idea.

* * *

_I try to find myself  
I find the stranger trapped inside  
And I'll take one more step away  
From the face I used to recognize  
Familiar shadows closing in  
Suffocating fear descends  
You killed a life, uncovered eyes._

- Break Me Down by Red

* * *

**Fang III: Nothing More But Failures (Except You)**

"Why did you had to run off with that blonde kid into the woods and start sword fighting? You ruined _everything_!" Genesis paced around the living room, hands tangled in his hair and gritting his teeth. On the couch sat Sephiroth, regarding the man with no real interest and paying more attention to an old rip-off novel on which the artwork of the cover was almost all faded away.

"Same goes for you; too preoccupied with Angeal's ex-student," said Sephiroth while turning a page.

"But _I _didn't get punctured in the chest!" Genesis stopped in front of the silver-haired man, glaring at the bandage hiding the cut that Cloud had inflicted. He idly wondered why Sephiroth even bothered, since the wound was probably already a scar by now.

"True, but _you_ didn't get Zack, either. All you managed to do was hurt him badly. So we both made a mistake and let them be."

"It's not like we really had a choice. Who could have guessed that such a lowlife like that blonde could harm you? He surprised me too when he actually came back to save my dear Zack." He sighed and plopped down on the other couch, across from Sephiroth.

The silver-haired man lifted an eyebrow and chuckled. "A lowlife? He's one of us, in case you forgot. And he also received a part of my cells while I turned him into a vampire, which outstands him from the other creatures of the night." He closed the novel, laid it next to him, putted one leg over the other and crossed his arms.

"However, I feel it necessary to ask: why didn't you fight him? Why did the proud and devoted Genesis, a Vampire 1st Class, turn his back on mere simpletons? Was it because you were not interested in them or because you were afraid?" he asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"I wasn't scared!!" Genesis yelled, "I…**We** just weren't prepared enough and didn't foresee the situation we're in now. Though, if I had known that Zack would have thrown my beloved "Loveless" in the damn fire, I would've let it here. Of course, I memorized all the passages, but still; now my little library means nothing without it. 'T was a unique exemplar, too. The only real one."

He heard the silver-haired man murmur something along the lines "Finally don't have to hear that goddess crap anymore," but he didn't reply. Instead he pressed himself a bit more comfortable in the couch, laying his head back and brought his hand up to cover his eyes. Silence reigned for a long time, both thinking about what they could do to get the young vampires back.

Actually, that wasn't the _real _problem. Genesis was a professional in capturing while Sephiroth aced in searching and finding trails—whether it'd be from animals or humans. It was not without a reason that when they were still human and working for an ultra-dangerous company—better known as ShinRa—they got paired up most of the time.

Sure, they were still pretty strong on their own, but together the two became the most deadliest, feared duo. Until the day they got supposedly 'Killed in Action' and all the documents and other important papers with their name mentioned in it got burned, all trails that could have possibly led to them vanishing in ashes—together with the ShinRa Company, that got destroyed a few days after Sephiroth's disappearance and KIA message.

_More _days after the incident, it was the people's turn to disappear, one after another. None came back, unless someone found their bodies; emptied of their blood, on the verge of decomposing. It was the rise of the merciless killer, Sephiroth, who sought for revenge after he'd found out the dark secrets behind his existence.

His revengeful thirst got lessened: he had murdered the ex-workers from ShinRa, humans that stood in his way like Hollander, and he had tried to take Dr. Hojo's life—but the man escaped. Whether he was alive or not, no one knew.

"Even my own species… or at least; all of them except for a few stubborn weeds that keeps coming back." Sephiroth stared right at Genesis when he whispered those words, the other man furrowing his eyebrows and grinning when he understood what the Masamune wielder meant.

"So you're also labelling your dearest Cloud as bad grass? Is your love for him truly that piddling that you are likely going to barbarously slay him off into little chunks? I thought that you were at least not _completely_ heartless, seeing as how your eyes brightened when you saw the kid." He placed his elbows on his knees and snorted, rolling his eyes.

Sephiroth didn't say anything; it amused him how impatient Genesis could be, albeit he tried to hide it, but then the man started to irritate him by regularly tapping his feet on the floor, so he answered in a delicate tone that helped suppressing the actual maliciousness present in his voice.

But Genesis was not a man that could be fooled so easily. He detected it immediately after the first word rolled off Sephiroth's tongue. A shudder crept up his spine and he clenched his hands. When his partner (he could call him like that, since it would appear that they're going to be stuck together for a while) was like this, it always reminded him of a scene where a demon was ready to strike, tearing your pitiful heart out of your chest.

Only, and only in _these_ circumstances did Genesis admit that he was scared—and die if he acted wrong.

"Love?" the silver-haired then finally said, his aquamarine eyes glistening with something mysterious, "I never spoke about love, Genesis. I never loved him, never shared such feelings for him. I don't even _possess_ it. You might change your mind about me being a heartless bastard or not."

"And yet you saved him when he was being smashed by the debris, so you have to feel _something_ towards the kid. How else would you explain that you gave a second chance to a mortal instead of letting him die a painful death?" He didn't understand, he really didn't. Genesis loved Zack, despite the fact that it wasn't reciprocal.

"I admit that Cloud sparked my interest when I saw him for the first time, but it never occurred to me that I'd start a relationship with him," he spoke without taking his eyes off the man seated across.

"I just gave him a second chance because first I thought he looked pathetic, yet when I saw his flaring glare, I was convinced he would become a good opponent once he got stronger—perfect to torture him bit by bit, making his life more miserable than it already is. Sometimes he reminds me of myself, when I was still a vengeful person. That is what's keeping him going on to become more powerful by each passing day." He chuckled, closed his eyes, a smile slowly creeping up his face.

"Cloud wants to avenge his whole town, and he wants _me_ to _suffer_ for what I've turned him into. So you see, it has nothing to do with love. It's just for my own interest, my own little sick game that I am slowly starting to enjoy."

Sephiroth ended his small allegory with a dramatic sigh and leaned back. Genesis was speechless, since he hadn't expected this conversation to be so twisted in the man's own way. He found Sephiroth's view on things rather cruel and quite disturbing.

"So what, Cloud's just your entertainer?" he asked, because he _was_ intrigued by the whole thing. Besides, something told him that there were lots of hidden messages behind Sephiroth's words that the man didn't want to voice out.

A deep laugh resounded through the whole house and Genesis blinked. It wasn't every day that he saw a laughing Sephiroth, albeit that the sound was kind of wicked. But as soon as it came, it was gone. The man was serious again; only his wide smile remained, revealing his sharp fangs.

"Oh no, Genesis. He is more than that; he's my toy. My puppet. And I am the puppet master behind the scenes who holds every string that controls Cloud. His destiny is mine, and his life will be soon, too."

"What are you going to do?"

Sephiroth stood up and walked around the other couch so that he was behind Genesis now, his hand placed on the other man's shoulders. The silver-haired looked down while the brunet looked up, both gazing in each others' eyes for a moment, before Sephiroth lowered down to his ear, whispering.

"I am going to rob Cloud from his life, so I hope your Zack won't get in the way, if you understand what I mean."

And he walked away, going upstairs for a little nap, leaving Genesis behind whose blood had turned into ice.

**

* * *

**

It was cold again, though this time it wasn't the biting chill from before when he had a fever. Nope, this felt _a lot _nicer; the pleasant glacial feeling you felt on your protected skin when you marched your way through the snow that lied in the Modeo Ravine.

And Zack enjoyed every little bit of the white substance entering his shoes, melting once inside it, wetting his socks. He didn't mind it that his little toes numbed in protest to the awkward sensation, instead he just smiled and walked along the road—if you could call the narrow path covered under snow a road.

Before the next turn, he halted and looked over his shoulder. A figure, quite far behind, was having trouble advancing making a lot of noise: obscenities that should not be heard by little kids or innocent ears.

"Hey Spiky! You okay there?!" Zack yelled, not even thinking about the consequences of screaming in the mountains. Luckily, nothing happened. The person sped up so that he was right in the black-haired male's face, fuming while clenching his fists.

"I told you not to call me like that! It's Cloud, not Spiky, but Cloud!" the blonde purposely shoved Zack in the shoulder when he walked ahead—forgetting that the young man was wounded there—cussing under his breath about stupid vampires with their puppy complexes.

"Well _someone _didn't get enough sleep…" Zack mumbled, softly massaging his shoulder and following the blonde before he got lost. Cloud sure wasn't an easy person to be around with, especially if said person still kind of hated your guts and didn't trust you.

Cloud had made that clear for the past three days they've been travelling away from Gongaga and the Old Ruins, to a place where their two enemies wouldn't find them. But since the blonde didn't know this country that well (apparently, he had forgotten most of his memories that had happened before the fire in Nibelheim), Zack had taken it upon him to lead them towards safety.

Also known as his secret base that was situated _opposite_ of the Old Ruins, meaning a journey up to two slash three days before they could reach it. At the beginning, everything went well and nothing troublesome occurred, until they saw the mountains. Since then, they only got problems. Both had been stuck in a snowstorm, delaying them from a day, then a puma had set its eyes on Cloud and it took a lot of running to get rid of the beast, and at least the event of yesterday evening.

Which was, in Zack's opinion, the worst thing that had happened in his _entire_ life, apart from him not being a human anymore. He still didn't know how it ensued, if it was his fault at all. _He _wasn't the one that had leaned forward to grab the cup of instant noodles, accidentally tripping over a small hidden trunk just to fall down on the blonde and capture his lips—by accident.

The situation was absolutely vice versa. Really.

Anyway, it resulted in one harsh slap in the face and a very bad tempered vampire for the rest of the night. Apparently, Cloud had forgiven him a little bit, though that was probably just because Zack's wounds had reopened after the blonde's beating up, making the mercenary feel guilty about it.

His injuries were fairly good healing, by the way. It was just his side wound that had trouble getting better. Which was normal, if you got punctured twice in the same place, in mere 24 hours. By two different persons, that is. He's just lucky like that. His shoulder was almost completely cured; it would only take one more day before it'd turn into a scar.

The fever had gone down, too, thanks to Cloud's medical herbs and potions. Zack chuckled when he remembered the blonde's shocked face when he had seen the dark-haired vampire full of live, jumping around to see if he hadn't rusted in the period he was sick.

He could still hear his voice: "You're insane! Don't hang with your head down on that tree! Get down right this instant, Zack, or I'll have to make a second gash to match your other side!"

It had taken a lot of effort to get down without falling and smashing his brains, but after negotiating with Cloud he not only got his beloved Buster Sword back (how Zack could wield such a heavy weapon, the blonde never understood), but also his precious necklace.

Zack looked down at his shining accessory, fondly twirling it between his fingers. He'd caught up with Cloud but only realized it when he felt someone staring at him.

Taking his eyes off the ornament he looked at Cloud, who, like he had thought, was staring quite intently at him.

"What?" he asked a bit uncomfortable.

The blonde frowned before shrugging. "Nothing, I was just wondering why you're so attached to that thing."

"Thing? You mean this?" he pointed to the amulet. Cloud nodded, "Yeah. For the small amount of time we've spent together, I've never seen you without it. Except when I had taken it off when I knocked you out."

"Huh, I forgot that part, but yeah it's rather important to me. You see… when I was still human, I lived on my own, had no one to depend on. It was just me and no one else. I was what, eleven? Twelve? I can't really remember, just that I was young, naïve, and that I had to find money to survive." They turned another corner, walking on, the snow much higher here, snowflakes starting to fall down.

Zack paused and stopped talking, crunching up his face when he smelled in the air. His senses kicked in and he took Cloud by the wrist, running fast until they reached an open place with a worn down facility.

"Sorry, Spike, but I think I'll have to tell you the rest another day, because right now a dangerous blizzard is heading our way and I'd prefer to save our asses instead of being conserved in an ice block. Though the idea sounds quite appealing—" A loud shrill interrupted him, making both hunters turn around.

In the distance, a big blur was moving in the air that soon became three smaller blurs. Zack was certain that they were not here by chance, neither for a friendly visit. He vaguely had the feeling that those things were the cause—

"—of this storm. They did this, no doubt about it, though I wonder why?" Right after the blonde said that, the blurs had taken form, landing in front of the two young men. Frankly, Zack had to agree with Cloud; why exactly did these monsters launch a blizzard?

Two hippogriffs and one gargoyle; the first species being rather difficult to deal with since they were somewhat stronger that the average fiends in this world. The gargoyle was more annoying that anything else, as it would curse you with a death sentence if you weren't quick enough to get rid of the little creep.

"There's something wrong—very wrong. They shouldn't be here; it's not in their nature to come in a place like this." Cloud stated, his hand already on the handle of his First Tsurugi. The monsters didn't move, only stood there, observing the two.

"You're right, their behaviour is more than just weird. My instincts tell me that they're much more powerful than they should be. What do you think, Spiky?" Zack came to stand closer to Cloud and detached his sword from his back, holding it out in front of him and smirked.

Cloud did the same with his own weapon, answering, "Well, it's definitely a trap, but from whom I'm not truly sure. Maybe Genesis?"

"Nah, he's more the type of summoning big beasts like Ifrit or Bahamut, and of course some failed replicas of himself—not fiends that he considers as trash. I though it was an idea of that obsessive guy of yours that has the same stalking issues like Genesis."

The blonde shook his head, gritting his teeth when the temperature was lowering too fast and it was becoming colder. If they didn't hurry, they would get hypothermia or maybe worse. "I doubt that. Sephiroth isn't the kind of person to do such things. He's more preoccupied with killing humans and finding me than spawn fiends. Besides, he'd much more prefer to finish me off by himself."

"Then there are only two options left, and I sincerely hope it's the first and not the latter. Otherwise, we're definitely screwed." Finally one of the enemies made a move, targeting Zack with a plain fireball.

He skilfully avoided the magic attack, launched forwards, and pierced the gargoyle in the chest. It disappeared in ashes, taken away by the wind.

"One down, two left. If you ask me, that gargoyle was way too easy to defeat," said Cloud while keeping an eye on both hippogriffs. They were like statues, gazing without blinking. In fact, the blonde had the impression that they weren't even breathing.

"What makes me come to option two." The black-haired groaned when the snowflakes got thicker, making it a bit more difficult to see but also worrying him; it didn't calm down, but the storm became fiercer and if he dawdled any longer than necessary, this would become a sticky situation.

"Which is?"

"They're experiments."

Cloud turned his attention to Zack, momentarily lowering his defence. "Excuse me? That's not possible, since no one can—"

"Wrong. _He _has the potential for that. Those two here are the proof that he, the sick-minded bastard, is alive and well. Apparently, he's the only one that can duplicate creatures, and since a few years ago humans too. That man is also the cause why Sephiroth turned insane and why _you_ are different than any of the other vampires I've met. But I guess you already realised this by now, right?" He sheathed his Buster Sword, approached Cloud, and grasped him by the shoulders.

"H-hey! What the heck are you doing? Zack!" the blonde struggled but to no avail; Zack had a good grip on him. The black-haired looked him in the eyes, and, just like before, it paralyzed Cloud to the ground. A few seconds later Zack let go of the blonde.

"I knew it. When the colour of your eyes switch to aquamarine, it's much brighter than it's supposed to be. Even more so than a vampire of the third or second class. You received extra mako than required, which means that he sort of took you under his devilish wing and experimented on you too. Cloud, you somehow intrigued him; you became his salient experiment." Through the whole explanation, Zack wore a blank face.

He could see that Cloud didn't quite understand it, so he groaned and pointed to the two fiends. "Look, their eyes are purple instead of yellow, their feathers are way too dark when they should actually be more lighter. And then there's the obvious thing, of course: their abnormal strength plus statue-like behaviour."

Taking Cloud's weapon – he was too lazy to de-strap his own – he finished off the hippogriffs without breaking a sweat. They disappeared just like the gargoyle, and just like Zack had foreseen, the blizzard calmed down to a mere chilly breeze with a lighter snowfall.

"Failures. Nothing more than that."

Zack sighed and gave Cloud's First Tsurugi back. He noticed the troubled look on the blonde's face, and somehow he thought that maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell him about the mako nor the experiment thing.

"You alright, Spiky?"

It took a moment before Cloud answered, but when he did it was like he had just come back from a far-off memory. "Huh?"

"I asked if you're alright," he said now worriedly. Ah, maybe he had leaked too much information. Heck, maybe he had told stuff that Cloud never heard of it before and that he was starting to think through matters. Well, if Zack squinted a bit, he could see the gears in the blonde's head working.

"Uhm yeah, I think I am, but it's just that what you said makes no sense to me, so that's why I was a bit out of it." he chuckled nervously and looked around. He noticed that there was an entrance not far away from the abandoned facility; he asked about it.

"Clever, aren't ya? Yup, that's the entrance to Modeoheim, a.k.a. The Lost City of Snow. Or simply the town where I reside in my secret base. Heh. So, ready to go? Because I'm freezing my balls off here."

Cloud snorted, started walking with a laughing Zack at his side and the endless white around them. He instantly forgot everything about the experiments, which would have been better if he hadn't, since his ignorance for it would lead them to greater dangers later on with future encounters.

* * *

"Wow, it really _is_ abandoned… What happened here?"

"Meh, it's a long story, way too long to start talkin' about it. I'd probably fall asleep somewhere in the middle of telling it anyways, so I'm just gonna say this: the people of this village ran away when they heard 'bout the attack of vampires that was going on in Nibelheim." Zack waved with his hand, like it wasn't really _that_ important.

"I accidentally stumbled upon this little town while I was hunting, so this became my home for the past… uhh… six years, I think?" he scratched his head, guiding Cloud to an old battered bathhouse, not even glancing at the other empty houses.

The blonde on the other hand took everything in about his surroundings. Though this was his first visit in Modeoheim, it looked almost the same as his hometown. The resemblance was frightening, not just because both villages shared the same name except for the 'Modeo' and 'Nibel', but also because the eerie atmosphere hanging in the air here was like that from in Nibelheim.

Hopeless, destroyed, ruined—doomed to be forever haunted.

A chill crept up his spine and he quickened his pace when he saw that Zack was already opening the secured door of the bathhouse.

When they were both inside, Cloud couldn't help himself but asked, "Is this supposed to be your house?" Everything was more than only demolished. The blonde wondered if it was even healthy to be living here; you could easily cut yourself with all the broken glass that was lying on the ground.

"Of course! Why, isn't it nice?" the black-haired vampire strolled towards the center of the room, spreading his arms, grinning. "This, dear Cloud, is my personal bar!" He announced proudly and whirled around laughing like a teen on crack.

"…Oh." Honestly, the blonde didn't really understand how Zack could be so excited about this—whatever _this_ was. He had a feeling that Zack wanted to renovate his bar, reopen it and become a bartender. And, in fact, he wasn't completely wrong.

"I'm planning to renew this place, make a dancefloor right here where I'm standing. Maybe add a few colourful cushions here and there. Then I'd quit being a wanderer, quit being part of the organization and live normal among the people. At least, that was what I wanted to do," he spoke, lowering his arms, sitting himself down on one of the chairs.

Cloud did the same and turned to look at Zack. "Was? You mean you don't want to make that dream come true anymore?" he asked, trying to figure out why the dark-haired male interested him so much. For as long as he'd known, the blonde had no dreams at all—no special desire to achieve a goal, except for killing Sephiroth. So hearing what Zack answered made his blood boil for no special reason, which just angered him **more**.

"Uh, have you ever seen a _vampire_ doing such a thing like holding a _bar_? I dunno, kid, but the way I see it, our kind can't really practice any profession without fearing to be suspected and slaughtered merciless by vampire hunters or mercenaries. Been there, seen it, never want to experience it myself. You now what I mean." Immediately after those words were voiced, Zack was met with Cloud's fist. He fell off from his chair and hit his head hard on the stone ground.

"AUGH! Ow ow ow ow, that hurts!" he turned wildly from side to side with his hands gripping the back of his head, forgetting for a moment that his cheek was hurting too. The blonde stood over him, fuming and pissed off.

"Are you saying that I do this _job_ for fun? That I like to take lives and enjoy hearing them scream? I didn't exactly choose to be a mercenary nor hunter; I wasn't give the choice!" he spat, wanting to give Zack a second hit, but the young man acted quickly and rolled out of the way.

He sat up and back-crawled until his back touched the wall. The blonde glared whilst taking a step forward. "Oi, Spike, stop it!" apparently, the nickname only made Cloud angrier, so Zack changed his tactics. "Listen Cloud, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean it like that!" He had closed his eyes, because truth to be told, the blonde could be very scary.

"Then how exactly _did_ you mean it, vampire?" Cloud halted, scowling down on the black-haired, waiting for a valid response. He'd noticed Zack flinch when he had called him vampire again, remembering him of their first meeting, where he also had named the hunter like that.

"Aw, you don't have to be so mean, Cloud. You and me are the same, yanno? If you insult me of vampire, then you're also insulting yourself, hah." A growl made it clear to Zack that it was not a good idea to make fun out of the blonde. Not now, at least.

Zack coughed and cleared his throat, "What I try to tell is that you know how people can be when they are threatened. They become monsters themselves only to hunt other monsters—which is rather ironic since we could get along pretty well with each other in the past…" His face saddened.

"Anyways, the chances for a vampire to have a peaceful life these days are slim to none. That's why I travel from town to town, sometimes even countries, to get rid of those annoying humans who still believe they can kill us with a mere stake through our heart." Zack stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, exhaled, and massaged his head.

"Understand now why I can't become a bartender? 'Cause we are cursed to run away with our tail between our legs. Only one man that suspects me and **BANG**, dead are me." To add a dramatic effect to his words, he grabbed an old gun from behind a broken table, and with the tip of it he tapped it against his chest, near his heart.

Cloud's eyes widened. "Uhm, what are you planning to do with that?" he asked. Zack's finger twitched against the trigger, and a creepy smile darkened the seriousness that was now apparent on Zack's face, like he was mocking the blonde.

"Hey, Cloud? Can you guess how often I got these things pointed at me?" His voice was so humourless, like Zack had totally changed from his happy self to a sinister person that didn't care what was good or wrong; if he could kill something, he would be satisfied.

The blonde didn't dare to answer, because truth to be told; Zack scared the shit outta him. When the vampire said "No?" his fingers gripped tighter on the gun, and Cloud stopped breathing.

"I'll tell you: more than two-thousand-and-fifty times did _they_ point things like these at me. The size differed from person to person, but its capability stayed the same." Zack pulled the trigger and the loud noise vibrated off the walls, suddenly making it very clear just how empty the village was.

Cloud stared at Zack's chest, waiting for the crimson liquid to pour out of the wound, but nothing came out. In fact, there wasn't even a hole through the young man's chest. His mouth closed and reopened, like a gaping fish, and he looked up to meet Zack's numb stare. The sound of metal clacking against stone made him jump and Cloud adverted his eyes to look at the ground. The cartridge chambers were all empty.

"They couldn't kill me, never will. If you know how to use decoys, then you're safe. I just wanted to show you how time has changed in the past few decades. For us, monsters, creatures of the night, bloodsuckers, _demons_… it's over." Zack whispered, looking a lot older with his hair framing his face. The blonde was speechless, didn't even blink when Zack patted him on the head and apologised for what he'd just did, but that it was necessary _if_ he wanted to know the why's.

**If**. There's always an **if**. It's supposed to help you make a decision, or make you all the more miserable when you try to figure out things that you just can't understand without any answers. There's always a 'what if', like "_What if I skip school and stay all day long in my bed"_, or _"What if this will end unlike I thought it would end?'_"

There was also the one that would make your insides twitch if asked by a crazy psychopath, serial killer, an assassin, and all the rest of those people that are sick in their mind—or worse; perfectly sane but simply enjoy all kinds of situations wherein there's blood.

"_What __**if**__ you could choose…between you…your kind…humanity… or __**him**__."_

Like it has been said, Cloud never really had a choice; his fate was predestined before he forgot the trivial things that would have helped a lot in the future without having to make sacrifices, before he became a vampire, a mercenary and a vampire hunter in search for the one who destroyed everything he had held dear on in his life.

Before he met Zachary Fair, Vampire 1st Class—the one who turned Cloud's world upside down and will bring more trouble than he would have bargained for. You just cannot choose your own destiny.

**

* * *

**

It's like nothing from earlier had happened when Zack cheerfully showed his 'house' around. They just passed the large bathroom and were now in a huge chamber that resembled more to the inside of a factory with all the machines and steam.

"Now this is the training ground where you can, well…train. You've got all the space you need so you don't even have to worry breaking something. Unless you're a wild fighter of course, heh." He zigzagged through the pillars and mounted the stairs.

Cloud didn't follow him directly; a blinking object had caught his attention. He took a few steps back and inspected the hole in one of the machines. Pondering if he should reach out to it, even though there was steam blocking his way, he shrugged and was about to grab it when a hand on his wrist stopped him from doing so.

"Don't," Zack warned with a hint of panic in his blue orbs.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll burn your skin, and because this item isn't an ordinary materia."

"That's a materia?" Cloud asked, more intrigued by this peculiar object than Zack's hand still holding the blonde's wrist.

"Yeah, but it's quite unique. If good uses it, it'll bring salvation. If evil uses it…well, let's say that the planet wouldn't exist anymore. Anyways, let's go up so that I can show you your room," he said and tugged Cloud along with him up the stairs.

But the blonde wasn't going to drop the subject. "So, how did you get it? You bought it from a merchant? Or did you steal it from some hyperactive Wutanian ninja claming to be the best thief in the whole universe, which, by the way, would be very immature of you."

Zack only snorted, grumbled a "Yeah right," and pretended not to have heard the rest. Instead he started whistling a tune that annoyed the blonde more than anything. He hated it when people plainly ignored him while they clearly had heard him speaking. So he did the obvious thing of getting his wrist back and refused to go further without any more specific answers. He would get to know why that materia was so important, damn it! He'd even use violence if the black-haired male refused to speak. Or taunt him, either way worked for him.

"Well, are you gonna answer or what?" the blonde crossed his arms in front of his chest and started to tap with his feet on the metal holding them both above the ground. He could wait—he had all the time of the world.

"It's not like I'm forced to answer, eh Spiky?" the smirk was forced, that much Cloud could see and thus knew that if he went any further that he would regret it. But blondie was a stubborn little vampire…

Faking that he didn't care about it anymore, they continued to climb up the steps until they reached another large room—the bedroom. "This is going to be yours until you've had enough of me." Zack chuckled and let Cloud sit on the bed. The bed was situated in the corner, and there was a table in the middle. There were few decorations, but all in all it was pretty cosy and enough comfortable to feel at home. There was another bedroom next to his, and it was exactly the same, except for the colours and many scattered papers on the ground.

'_That must be his room,' _the blonde thought while scanning the place. He liked it, and when he voiced it out he could swear that he went blind with all the brightness Zack emitted. "I sure hope you do, it's not like you have anywhere else to sleep, unless you're one of those guys who like the sleep under the starry sky."

Cloud smiled, "Not really. Too many insects and you always have to be alert to your surroundings. Guess this is going to change my insomniac habits." They both laughed then, neither knowing why, just that it felt nice; that was a good enough reason.

Zack fell down on the bed next to Cloud, gripping his belly when he started to calm down. A breathless laugh escaped his mouth and he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and breathing the air back out. The blonde eyed him curiously until his attention came back to the materia.

"So…about that white orby thing downstairs…" he started attentively, though that didn't stop Zack to groan and put an arm over his eyes, admitting defeat. _'Maybe he'd drop the subject if I give him only vague answers. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do!'_ Zack thought.

"It's a gift that I got a long time ago, nothing special," he answered and hoped that Cloud was satisfied with that. Of course, the mercenary wasn't.

"Like, your girlfriend or what?" The weight next to him was suddenly gone, Zack standing at the door from his room, his back to Cloud, his head lowered down. He clenched and unclenched his fists, his whole body tense and for a second the blonde thought that he was going to scream at him.

The only thing Zack did was sigh deeply and speak, "No, she was my best friend, like a sister; a haven where I could always rest, eat, sleep, and speak about nothing and everything." His arms fell limp to his sides.

"Where is she now?" asked Cloud, though he knew that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to ask. But Zack, although in a very unsure and sad voice, answered nonetheless. "In Heaven, kid. She's dead." He disappeared into his room, leaving Cloud with his mouth open, and suddenly the blonde wished he hadn't asked anything; the expression on Zack's face when he had slightly turned his way made his heart throb in guilt.

**

* * *

**

Cloud awakened with sudden alarm when he heard strange noises coming from the room next to him. Squinting his eyes, he tried to discern where he was. Then he remembered the village and Zack's secret base. So the sounds were coming from the other vampire.

Slowly getting out of bed, he shuffled with his feet until they touched a wall. Since he couldn't see a thing in the dark without at least a bit of moonlight—which there wasn't—he had to rely on his instincts. From there he started to carefully and in utter silence walk towards where he thought there should be a door. Brushing with his fingers a bit back and forth, he finally found the doorknob, turned it until he heard a soft _click_ and he opened the door ajar.

He saw a big lump of sheets and cushions on the bed, which he identified to be the vampire. He fully entered the room, and now that he was inside he could clearly hear the sounds; moans and words slurred together.

When he approached the bed, he saw Zack's contorted features; sweat forming on his forehead. _'Huh, he's probably having a nightmare,_' he thought while lowering his gaze and frowned; the necklace was glowing dully, and now that Cloud looked closer he could see that it was in fact a tiny little stone that emitted the dim light.

The blonde was so concentrated on the accessory that he didn't even noticed that the sounds had subsided, making the room ghostly quiet. Even Zack's breathing had gone down, and it was only when a cold chill ran up his spine that Cloud realised that _something _seemed off. It was a twitch of Zack's fingers that alerted the blonde, albeit a second too late.

"Gyah! What the—"

Strong hands were at his throat, strangling the blonde while Zack pushed him back on the bed so that he was hovering over him, putting more pressure on the throat, forcing Cloud to gasp and fight back.

He tried to push the dark-haired male off him, but the vampire was stronger and didn't budge more than just a few little inches. Zack started to snarl and bared his fangs, the moonbeams (there was a window in this room) reflecting on the white, pointy, deadly weapons.

The whole scene made Cloud think that this was just a crappy horror movie, that Zack was just fooling around with him for Cloud being too curious about his privacy and trying to scare him.

But this _wasn't_ a crappy horror movie, Zack _wasn't_ fooling around—the young man really was trying to destroy his windpipe. Cloud struggled harder, the necessity of air becoming urgent.

He clenched his eyes shut, gritted his teeth, took a firm grip on both Zack's wrists and pulled, hoping to at least get the male's hands off his throat. He froze when warm breath tickled his face, and he dared to open his baby blue orbs only to be looking straight at wild, hazed aquamarine eyes, the pupils having become slits.

"Z-Zack?" the blonde stuttered. This wasn't the playful Zack he knew, this…this…_thing_ was a ferocious vampire that was completely out of his mind and couldn't tell the difference anymore between friend and foe.

It's like all the goodness that represented Zack had disappeared and that this was just his evil side that had taken over. Cloud really started to panic when he could practically feel the fangs grazing at his pulsing neck, hearing the male sniff, like he was first savouring its prey's odour before devouring it.

'_Shit, if I don't act quickly, he'll bite me! Not that he can kill me, unless he sucks me dry, but still! Ah, think Cloud, think!'_ He raked through his mind for any possible solutions, though the more he searched, the lesser he could think of something.

So he kicked the vampire, struggled more fiercer, anything to get an open spot and take the ropes in hand. This started to anger Zack and when Cloud heard his bones crack, he came down to his last resort.

"G-goddamn it! Z-Zack, stop! Wake up, y-you big, fat, u-ugly asshole!" he shouted for all he could with the little oxygen he had, still putting up a fight.

"You're f-fucking strangling me!!" and then the movements stopped. Not only from Cloud, but also from Zack, who was blinking stupidly down at the blonde with a 'what-the-fuck-are-you-doing-here' expression. Then he saw the pale colour on Cloud's face, his hands on his throat, and the pain he started to feel from the blonde's kicks.

His eyes—now with the haze gone—widened and he jumped off the blonde. Cloud gasped, coughed, glad that his lungs got fed again. Zack blinked some more before stating the fact, "I almost killed you." He gulped, the lump in his throat not going away, his stomach starting to twist and churn.

"God, I almost _killed_ you."

Cloud finally looked up again, feeling a bit better though still alert. It seemed like the normal Zack was back, or how normal you could call someone who went berserk and nearly crushed your bones, that is.

"I'm fine now, Zack. I'm sure you didn't do it on purpose; you weren't yourself, I can tell that much," he said. It didn't convince the black-haired, who gritted his teeth and shook his head in disapproval.

"I think it's better that I sleep on the roof tonight, just in case," he spoke with remorse, avoiding Cloud's eyes, staring outside the window with an anguished visage. He stood up, his knees wobbly, the rest of his body trembling, and staggered towards the window frame. Zack lifted the glass and climbed through the opening, disappearing in the silent darkness.

Cloud stayed in Zack's room. Nightmares kept haunting him over and over again, waking him up just at the moment where a demented demon plunged its fangs in his neck, drinking him dry and leaving a burning sensation in his veins. Wicked cackles enchanted the blonde back to sleep, back to the horrible illusions and bad omens.

None of the two young vampires got much sleep that night.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**A/N: **God, it's awfully long! Normally I was going to stop the chapter at the destiny part, but then I thought that 10 pages weren't enough for your reading pleasure. So in the end, it became 14 pages. Three long days writing, editing, deleting, and re-writing parts. I won't say I didn't enjoy writing it. The real story only starts now! And yeah, sorry, forgot to add some love in this chapter. There'll be BL in the next chapter though :3 And is it me or wasn't there a lot of...vampire stuff? Guns: check. Drama: check. Vampires that suck blood: che- oh wait, WHERE?! Lol, sorry. Got side-tracked.

I understand if you didn't understand much of this... fill-up chapter. I also got lost into it a few times, hehe. But just to make it clear: Cloud was an experiment (maybe still is, who knows), Zack has this crazy berserk personality, which is kind of because of his vampire part. Don't worry dears, you will all understand it in the upcoming chapters.

Anyways, I hope you liked it, and before you may answers my two questions again, I'd like to ask to those who have read **The Shrink and The Pyro, **the funny AkuRoku fic, to go check the poll please. It's very important for its upcoming chapters (or maybe not upcoming).

**Question 1:**Prolly an easy one, "Who do you think the girl is that gave Zack the materia?"  
**Question 2:**Also prolly an easy one, "Who's the sick bastard?" :D  
**Bonus question:**"What do you think will happen in the next chapter?" Now that's a difficult question, hehe.

**Again, thanks for reading and please leave a review :3**


	4. Run, Run, Run!

**A/N: **Holy shit, it's been four months already? And you guys are still reading this fic? I… I don't know what to say (;_;) Except that I am extremely grateful and happy to the max that you all effing like this story. You know, I just never thought that **Make My Fangs Go Wild** would be loved by so many. Gods, I want to cry again because I'm so frickin' happy (ToT). –glomps all her reviewers and readers-  
Well, I made sure not to disappoint y'all by adding _something _nice in this chapter ;D And also, here are the answers on the oh-so-difficult –cough- questions:

**Who do you think the girl is that gave Zack the materia?  
**TIFA!!! Lol, no, just kidding. It was Aerith who gave Zack the white materia. You all guessed right! :D

**Who's the sick bastard?  
**… Hojo. –shudders- Seriously, that man creeps me out. I'm like, screaming to my PSP while playing Crisis Core "GO AWAY!! GYAH! SCARY OLD FART!!" Dx

**What do you think will happen in the next chapter?****  
**On this question you all answered differently: a clash between Zack and Hojo, Zack and Cloud kissing, meeting Hojo… Well, I can't tell you anything, otherwise it'll be a spoiler. You'll have to find out by yourself :p

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR THE AWESOME, SHIZZLING REVIEWS~ -happy sobs-

* * *

**Warnings:** unbeta'd, so sorry if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes. Violence, language, boyxboy… why am I still putting a warning?

**Disclaimer: **Zack, buddy, I hate to tell you this but… Squeenix abducted Cloud so that you could no longer be all over him. Wanna go fetch Spike back? :D

* * *

_Are you ready or not. I'll never fade away  
Open up your mind instead of wondering why  
Sinkin deep you divide yourself in two  
I don't care cuz you're my imagination_

- Easy Action by Boom Boom Satellites

* * *

**Fang IV: Run From The Beast (And The Past)**

Zack woke up with a jolt and was confused to see the velvet coloured morning sky instead of his ceiling. He blinked slowly, his mind still fogged by sleep, and idly wondered if he was still dreaming.

Why the heck was he laying on the roof?

Then the events from yesterday came back, bitch-slapping him in the face. Zack immediately sat up straight, his sleep being replaced by anxiousness.

"Daaaaaamn..." he groaned, placing his head between his legs; his hands pulling at the longer strands of black hair. Zack had almost forgotten what had happened because of the nightmares that had been plaguing his mind and the lack of sleep. After all, it wasn't like he could go drift off to La-La Land after, although unconsciously, attacking Cloud.

'_He must be freaked out now, or maybe even hate me,'_ he thought, staring at the rusty bits starting to cover the metallic plates of the roof. Zack released a big sigh, quickly losing his interest in the rust and pinched the bridge of his nose. _'I've been doing it a lot lately: a sigh here, a sigh there. If I'm gonna do that a lot more I'll be like an old man.'_

Dropping back down, Zack gazed up at the sky and wondered what went wrong, aside from the obvious of course. It's not like he never had these "attacks" before, but that's from _way_ back. It was odd that he suddenly had these animalistic urges again.

'_Maybe the reason is because I haven't __drunk blood for a while. If it was possible I would've drunk from an animal, but Angeal clearly told me that their blood's poisonous, so the only choice left was a human… but I don't want to drink their blood, it just… doesn't feel right.'_ But Zack knew that if he neglected his thirst any longer, he'd either die from starvation, or start to randomly attack living beings like he had done yesterday.

And that brought him back to Cloud. He was still shocked that, when he had came back to his senses, he had found his hands around the blonde's throat, choking him. Cloud should have punched him, or kicked him in the crotch. But instead of doing that, he just had been calling his name, without even trying to hurt Zack seriously even though the blonde's life was in danger.

'_I wonder why… He's also a vampire; it's not like he c__an't fight me,'_ he thought while fingering the amulet around his neck, _'Unless…'_ His thoughts stopped, and so did his fingers, when he came to the sudden realization of something he wished wasn't becoming true. Zack stared down at the silver accessory, the round black stone shimmering in the first sunrays.

"Impossible," he muttered and bit on his lower lip. Things were getting too confusing and the last thing he wanted was another problem being added to the pile. And one of those problems still had to be solved: apologize to Cloud.

Zack's stomach growled loudly and he chuckled. Well, okay then: make that two things that had to be solved.

Patting his belly, he effortlessly stood up in one jump and lazily stretched out. Luckily he was used to be sleeping outside, so that no stiff back could irk him when he woke up.

"Guess it's time to check upon Cloud." He carefully dropped himself down on the lower roof and went through the window of his room.

Zack was met with an empty bed, while he would've thought Cloud was going to lie there. But then again, it only made sense that the blonde wouldn't stay in the room where such a scenario had taken place. He was probably sleeping in the spare bedroom, or so Zack hoped.

The vampire went into the next room, and, like he thought, Cloud was sprawled on the bed, the covers only covering half of his clothed body. Apparently, the blonde hadn't bothered removing his clothes when he went to sleep.

Now Zack didn't know what to do: wake him up, or just leave him be? The choice was already decided when Cloud slowly opened his eyelids to reveal a pair of tired blue eyes. It seemed like Zack wasn't the only one who hadn't get much rest.

He waited until the blonde was fully aware of his surroundings before greeting him. Or tried to, since his words got stuck in his throat when Cloud averted his stare on him with an emotion on his face he couldn't quite decipher.

"Uhh, hi?" Zack managed to say, "Did you sleep well?" And here he mentally slapped himself. Of course Cloud didn't sleep well, couldn't he see that by that the bags under his eyes?

The blonde didn't reply at first, kind of unsure what to answer exactly to that question, so instead he just stared at everything except at the black-haired male.

The very tense and heavy atmosphere was rather suffocating, to say the least. And awkward, _very_ awkward. Both vampires weren't moving nor talking; just doing nothing, waiting for something, though they didn't know what.

It was Zack who took the initiative to speak, since he still had to apologize, and also because his stomach was throwing a tantrum.

"Let's go for a walk," he said. Cloud cocked a slender eyebrow, and Zack guessed that the suggestion did not really sound trusting. He sighed, knowing very well that asking it like that wasn't going to help, so he did what he was best at:

Pleading with big, teary eyes and looking utterly cute—or at least trying to look cute.

"Pretty please?"

* * *

If Cloud would have known that the walk was going to be turning out into a hunt, wherein he had to dash from one pine to another one, he would never have accepted Zack's request to go 'take a walk'.

Especially not if there was a huge grizzly bear involved in it, chasing after Cloud with loud growls and at a surprisingly fast speed. The blonde vampire somehow hoped that the animal would slip on its drool that started to foam around its mouth.

A bear gone crazy, and all that because that _idiot_ had had the brilliant idea to poke the recently sleeping animal with a stick.

And of course, the grizzly bear – or Mr. Teddy like Zack nicknamed it – had aimed its wrath at Cloud. It would be appropriate to mention that the blackhead, the strong and fearless young vampire, had opted for the run with his tail between his legs.

Thus leaving the poor blonde mercenary all alone with an angry Mr. Teddy. It's only normal that Cloud had also started to run away when he had seen the bear's long claws and pointy teeth. Vampire or not, Cloud preferred not to gamble with his supernatural abilities and die because of something stupid like being crushed or anything of the like by a mere animal.

To sum everything up: Zack had once again succeeded to put Cloud into a nasty situation, and the blonde feared that it wasn't going to be the last time either. His life had truly taken a 180 since he had met the blackhead in Gongaga.

"Ngh!" He grit his teeth when branches scratched his skin for the umpteenth time since the hunt had started. Cloud began to get tired from dashing through trees, jumping over rocks, duck for low-hanging branches and such. If he had had more sleep, then he'd probably have a greater stamina, but now he felt like dropping down on the ground and take a nap.

"Once I get rid of this bear, I'm gonna track that bastard vampire down and choke him!" Cloud spoke to himself, looking over his shoulder to see that the animal was catching up.

He muttered a curse and forced his feet to go faster. He noticed that they were approaching what seemed like the foot of a cliff and apparently marking the end of the forest.

'_Great! Now I only need to figure out if I'm going to take the left side or the right side…'_ he thought, but when he ran past the last trees, he saw in utter horrification that there were walls made of solid stone on either side so that he was in fact trapped like a mouse.

'_Turn back!' _his mind screamed and he did as he was told. Except that Mr. Teddy was already preventing the blond vampire to escape, blocking the passage to the huge woods with its massive black body.

Cloud gulped, slowly backing away until he couldn't anymore, his back touching the polished rocks and his mind went into overdrive, repeating the same words over and over again in a mantra.

'_Don't Panic! Don't Panic! Don't Panic! Don't Panic! Don't Panic! Don't Panic! Don't Panic! Don't Panic!'_ until he began to utter them out loud.

The wild beast roared loudly, clearly showing its dominance and for a second Cloud thought he had seen the bear smirk. Which was a very scary sight but also distracted him from the paw that was coming into his direction.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud saw the shimmering that the hot midday sun's rays caused on the dagger-like claws, although it was too late to avoid the attack. Maybe that if he had a bit more energy, a bit more strength to at least deflect the paw, then he could have slipped between the animal's tall legs. But the state he has put himself into with all that running for what had felt like hours but was probably only thirty minutes made it impossible for Cloud to take action.

His clear arctic eyes widened, his breath hitching in his throat, and he damned Zack because now the playful vampire had clearly fucked things up and the blonde wouldn't even have gotten the chance to reconfigure the black-haired male's face with his sword.

On the other hand, Cloud also blessed the other vampire when suddenly a figure jumped on the bear's back, wrapping a tanned arm around its throat and pulling. The bear took a few staggered steps backwards, lifting its hairy arms in attempt to lacerate the person.

"I see that I am right on time! You alright, Spike?" Zack said in a way too chirpy voice. It's like he was enjoying Cloud's situation. Like Zack had actually wanted Cloud to be _into_ this situation…

Oh dear _Lord_!

"You planned this! You poked that animal and ran away like a coward on purpose, because you _knew_ it would have followed me instead of you!" Cloud pointed an accusing finger at the now innocent grinning vampire (who was still having a good grip on the bear), realizing he had been the bait all this time without knowing.

The black-haired vampire nodded, cheekily ruffling his spikes with his other hand. "Uhm, yeah. Something like that."

Cloud was not happy. The urge to kill something was becoming tempting. Right now, beating the crap outta Zack sounded like a good idea to get rid of his anger, and at the same time a nuisance that had practically changed his daily pattern in more than one way.

He stopped shaking – he was _that_ choleric – and slowly breathed out. Looking through his blonde bangs, he smiled at Zack and the vampire knew he was in some deep shit. That smile didn't look honest at all; the twitch at the edge gave it away the blonde was clearly forcing it.

'_D__amn, I'm royally screwed. Amen.'_

But Cloud's revenge would have to wait, since the bear's struggles became fiercer and Zack started to have trouble holding his grip around its throat. He changed tactics and tried to break the neck, and would have succeeded if the bear hadn't slammed into a tree, sandwiching Zack in between. The vampire grunted and let loose, dropping off the animal's back and falling none-too-gently on his ass.

He didn't get the time to recover or Mr. Teddy was already bringing a paw down, but stopped halfway when the bear growled loudly in pain. Zack was confused, until he saw a glimpse of Cloud—the mercenary had been standing behind the wild beast and had taken the opportunity to implant a knife-like rock into the bear's side.

If Mr. Teddy had been in rage before, then it was now extremely furious and the brown eyes blackened. Labelling Zack as unimportant, it focussed only on Cloud who gulped in response. The blonde had only acted on instinct without knowing what to do afterwards, and tried to come up with something fast.

It was quite difficult to think when he was forced to dodge, duck and jump again. It's when he tripped over an out-sticking root that the animal grabbed its chance at lashed out, successfully hitting Cloud on the side of his skull.

"Ah!" The impact was pretty hard and the bear threw him a few feet away. He tried to stand up, but every time he got on his legs they gave out and he fell back on the ground. His vision started to blur together, making him panicky because what if he lost consciousness and the bear killed him?

A sharp pain shot through his head and he grabbed the side of his cranium, closing his eyes and trying to ebb the throbbing away. When the touch felt a bit sticky and warm, he brought his hand in front of him and cursed, seeing the blood.

Okay, so apparently playing the hero was not a good idea. Starting to see black spots dancing before his eyes also meant nothing good. And _hearing_ the loud thumps of a big bear approaching was definitely bad news.

'_Well,'_ the voice in his head started, _'I'm gonna stop the gears inside this skull and just play dead. So screw you, 'cause you're going unconscious right now.'_ Cloud thought he was going crazy to hear a voice inside his mind but considered it as an after-effect of the hit. He couldn't prevent the heaviness of his eyelids when they slid close, faintly hearing someone call out his name, and then everything turned black.

* * *

"_My, my. You're quite an interesting subject! Hm, hm. Ah, yes, I see. I think I will have to keep you here a bit longer."_

_The voice was strangely familiar, scary and scratchy, but the person's face was fuzzy and it was so difficult to pinpoint where he was. The place smelled bad—the smell of blood and chemical products hung heavily in the air._

"_You'll make a fine experiment. A very important one, too. Maybe as important as the 1__st__ Class subjects! Yes, yes."_

_He could feel fingers and cold objects prod his body, a few sharp things entering his skin and pouring a colourless liquid inside his veins. It left him feel dizzy and sick; trying to get away but he was strapped against an operation table. He couldn't escape, he wanted to scream for help but soundless words escaped his lips. _

"_Ugh. Still struggling, little boy? How peculiar; you shouldn't even be able to move a finger with all that—"_

_What? _

"…_inside your system. Could it be? No, nonsense! Only they have those cells, it's impossible!" He felt eyes bore through his skull; as if the person was trying to read his mind and take his soul._

_A low and sinister chuckle, "But then again, nothing is impossible if the impossible already exists. Ah, yes. You are indeed very interesting. Just like that other boy, '…' I think? Hm, hm."_

_Who?_

"_Yes, not only will you become a fine experiment, but a powerful (…) too! Ha, ha!"_

_The scenery changed, and he was standing in front of a woman who was crouched over a child. His eyes flickered towards the small puddle of redness that had formed around the infant. Then the mother lifted her head, fury and sadness all written over her tear-soaked face. She gripped the youngster – her daughter, her son? – tighter against her chest, and then she screamed._

"_You monster!" _

_He could feel his eyes widen, opening his mouth to speak, but the woman wouldn't let him._

"_You murderer! You killed my beloved child!"_

"_Wha—" his own voice sounded so young, but he didn't pay attention to that; his gaze had lowered to his hands that were stained crimson. It was also now that he noticed the strong taste of copper on his tongue. His breath hitched, fear starting to nestle itself in his quick beating heart. _

_What had he done?_

"_Vampire!"_

_And he turned around, running as fast as his legs would allow, the words of the woman haunting him even when he was already far, far away._

_He had become the one thing he loathed the most._

* * *

Cloud came by with a startled gasp; his mind still groggy and he felt like he just emptied Cid's stock of alcoholic Banora Apple cider—which, by the way, tasted awful (but that could also be because Cloud usually never drinks anything with some kind of liquor in it). He blinked his eyes a few times, but they were too sensitive to the light, so he closed them again.

What the hell was that? It was strange, like Cloud was actually there for real even if it was a dream—or nightmare. Could they have been small pieces of memories that had forgotten before he was turned into a vampire? Or maybe not, as the woman had clearly called him a monster.

Fragments from his last days as human before his transformation, and then his first victim?

The more he thought about it, the lesser it made sense. In fact, when he tried to think further and summoned the images back in his head, a painful throb stopped him. Sighing, a bit irritated that the whole thing confused him, he tried to remember why he was lying in the woods.

The mental image of a black-haired idiot with a huge grin popped up and Cloud suddenly sat up, immediately regretting it as a headache greeted him.

"Damn it," he grunted, massaging his temples and clenching his eyes shut. He was concentrating too much on shooing the pounding away that he didn't notice a shadow lurking over him.

His blue orbs widened in alarm as a hand placed itself over his mouth and a strong arm wrapped around his waist, effectively holding him against a warm chest so the blonde couldn't get away. Cloud started to fight back because Lord knew if it was a raper or worse: a _vampire hunter_.

"Got you," the voice was deep, meaning that a stranger was holding him and not Zack. Thus he could do whatever he wanted and attack the offender without a slight hint of remorse; and this strangely ticked him off as he would _love_ to hit that childish man one of these days.

He was going to bite the hand or at least elbow the guy (Cloud was sure it was a male as he couldn't feel anything… round) in the stomach, but the hand retreated and instead encircled Cloud's arms.

"Let me go, you bastard!" he yelled, the colour of his eyes already turning aquamarine and he bared his fangs, a loud growl forming at the back of his throat. He used more strength to loosen the strong – might he add _very_ strong – grip the man had on him, but it didn't work.

Cloud got annoyed and angry; there was only one solution left and it would get bloody if he did it. Although if he had to choose between this guy's life or his, the choice was quickly made.

Without a warning he whipped his head around, lowering his mouth to the junction between the neck and shoulder, and broke the tender skin with sharp teeth. He didn't even glance up to see the guy's face, more concentrated on savouring the relishing taste. Cloud felt the man tense up under his lips, and he smirked inwardly.

"Ugh! S-st—!" the man tried to push the blonde away, though this time it was Cloud who had the upper hand and he wasn't ready to let his prey get away, sinking his fangs deeper and sucking harder, losing himself slowly as the warm and salty 'beverage' went down his thirsty throat.

But something seemed off; he hadn't noticed it earlier, but the male's scent somehow registered itself as familiar and it made the blonde feel relaxed. He just couldn't put a finger on the person who sported the same fragrance, too absorbed by his vampire instincts to simply drink the precious life fluid and forget all the rest.

Cloud heard the laboured breathing of the man, the pants and gasps showing that he started to weaken. The blonde didn't remark the deep voice had become that of a young male, and while Cloud hummed in victory he unconsciously sniffed more of the smell.

And he stopped feeding, frozen in place as he finally recognized where he had smelled that scent before. It was a mixture of fresh soil and rain, musk and that one thing he never managed to pinpoint what it could be. The owner of this 'cologne' had told him that everyone has his or her own unique scent that no one else could have, thus remained a mystery.

This person happened to be the outgoing young male he had met in Gongaga.

"Zack!" the blonde pushed himself away from the other vampire and gasped as he saw how the usually tanned skin had become paler, a small bead of sweat rolling down the side of Zack's face. The black-haired knitted his eyebrows together and tried to smile at the blonde, although it resembled more like a grimace.

"Hey Spike, how are you feeling?" he asked, the words slurred. Cloud just stared at Zack; he still couldn't believe he'd drunk blood from another vampire—from Zack! A voice in the back of his mind asked why this was so important; the blackhead or any other person were just that: living beings.

Cloud scowled. No, Zack wasn't a mere _living being_. He didn't know why, but no matter how annoying the older male could be, Cloud did not _hate_ him. It was practically impossible to hate him as Zack had this aura around him you simply couldn't ignore nor overlook.

Scrambling up to his feet, the blonde quickly went to Zack's side to attend the wound _he_ had created. Zack clearly flinched when Cloud's fingers ghosted over his skin and the blonde crinkled his nose, brows furrowed. This was…rather strange.

Where were the bite-marks? It was as if they had magically disappeared. Only pink, irritated skin was left where the injury should have been; two little scars.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked, glancing sideways to Cloud who didn't respond. He arched a slender eyebrow, "It can't be _that_ bad, now, is it? All you did was biting me…" he trailed off as he saw the pained expression Cloud wore, and the blond slouched back, pulling his legs towards his chest and hiding his face behind blonde bangs.

"Cloud?"

"How… why didn't you push me away or counter-attacked? I know you're stronger than me since you're older and apparently you've been a vampire for much longer before I was one." The words were muffled but Zack heard them perfectly. And he couldn't help but smile sadly.

"If you want to know why I didn't cut you in two with my sword, then the answer is easy: you're too much fun to be around!" he laughed softly and brought a hand up to ruffle Cloud's surprisingly fluffy hair. Said male snorted, mumbling 'idiot.'

"Seriously though; you've banged your head pretty hard and blood was oozing out of it! You scared the shit outta me then, you know? I kind of accidentally-on-purpose killed the bear because of that."

The blonde raised his head when Zack mentioned the bear and couldn't help but be sarcastic. "Oh, right. I totally forgot about Mr. Teddy. Which reminds me I still have to punch you for using me as a damn decoy, you cheap bastard."

Zack hummed, "Yeah, but anyway: since you were in danger of blood loss, I first wanted to let you drink some of the bear's blood, but then I remembered that their blood – or any animal for that matter – is toxic for us, vampires. Soooo, I searched for a human. Nil! Nada! By the time I returned your wound was already closed."

'_Probably because there's a high dosage of Mako inside your body system,' _Zack thought, disgruntled.

"Huh? Isn't that impossible?" Cloud had never heard something like injuries healing at a fast pace, but then again; he still had a lot to learn, he realized this ever Zack and him travelled together.

Zack on the other hand was deep in thought, stuck between the dilemma of telling the blonde the truth of their existence or waiting a bit longer. He opted for the latter.

"Not really. _Some_ vampires," he put an emphasis on 'some', and by the look Cloud gave him the blonde had guessed which vampires he meant, "have a metabolism with a high healing rate. But when their body have already weakened or sustained damage, then the healing process goes a lot slower. Sometimes it can even take a whole day or more before their injuries disappear. In normal circumstances, meaning when they're healthy, their wounds vanish after thirty minutes or an hour."

The black-haired male pointed a trembling finger at Cloud, "Which is your case."

The blonde blinked, blue eyes wide and bright. Zack smiled and retreated his arm although Cloud grabbed his hand, clasping it tightly in his own. "That still doesn't explain why you let me bite you," he growled out. This was the first time since their encounter in Gongaga that Zack had seen Cloud this serious.

He sighed, knowing the blonde wasn't going to drop the subject if he wasn't given a proper answer.

"Like I said earlier; you lost a lot of blood. And what other choice did I have if there weren't any humans nearby?"

"You mean you let me drink _your_ blood to cure _me_? But that's insane! I could have killed you!" the blonde's voice rose in anger.

"_Could have_. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Only because I recognized your scent, you jerk!"

Zack's eyebrows threatened to disappear in his hairline, and a smirk tugged at his lips. Cloud saw this and a nice blush tinted his cheeks. "N-not like that! Pervert!"

"Hm-mh. Sure, kid. If it's going to make you feel better; I've also been sniffing you and memorized your scent. It's a quite unnatural smell, if I may say. Sweet, with a hint of vanilla, and then a bit of roughness of the rain." Zack waved his unoccupied hand (Cloud was still holding his other hand) in dismissal.

"To return to the serious business: I would've known when to stop you, and as you can see I'm fine, just a little bit dizzy but that's perfectly normal." Cloud snorted.

"You tend to do that a lot lately, Spike. It's rude." Zack said, and to his regret the blonde let go of his hand. The blackhead was going to apologize, for he thought he had offended Cloud, but to his amazement Cloud approached and gave him a light peck on the lips.

Zack could have just about died on the spot, as he was officially the happiest vampire in the world. The blonde blushed, looking away and nervously ruffling his blonde spikes.

"I swear; next time you pull something like that on me, I won't hesitate to let Genesis beat up your damn ass." Cloud truly had no idea why he had done that; his body had acted on its own! He found this very confusing and he arched an eyebrow as Zack somehow choked on his spit.

"Ew," he stuck his tongue out, "Please don't add my ass in the same sentence with Genesis. That's just… No."

He grabbed the front of Cloud's shirt and pulled him forwards so that their foreheads touched, "Okay…then see it as a returned favour for when you nursed me when we fought against Genesis and Sephiroth. Now we're square." And he didn't give Cloud the time to reply to that as their lips were sealed together. It wasn't long before they broke apart and Zack's eyes softened.

True, the black-haired vampire already thought the blonde was someone interesting, and he had grown quite fond of Cloud, too. He had been entranced by the younger male's ferocity and electric blue eyes when said male had pinned him against the tree a few days ago—were it only days? For Zack it felt like he had known Cloud for years.

He grinned again, feeling that nothing could come between them and break them apart.

"Well," Zack started, "I think it's about time we go back home."

"And what about the bear?" Cloud pointed at the huge black thing, feeling the urge to grab a stick and poke it to make sure it was really dead.

Zack scratched the back of his head, shrugging and standing up (although still a bit wobbly). "I can cook, so we can eat some bear tonight!"

"How typical of you," Cloud said while rolling his eyes. He got up too and both lifted up the bear. Luckily they were stronger than normal humans; the bear weighed a lot.

Their chuckles and bickering still resounded through the silent forest, even the overshadowing clouds not ruining their amazingly good mood.

Really, nothing could shatter this moment.

Or…?

**To be continued…**

* * *

**A/N: **Was it too rushed? Not good enough? You want to kill me? D:  
I am so sorry if the kiss didn't satisfy your reading pleasure, but I couldn't possibly let them hump. Yet. It's still too soon :D So, yeah. I don't really know what to say atm. Except that this chapter was fun to write~ especially Cloud's memories :3

And the reason for its late update: I've been lingering in the D. Gray-Man fandom, reading Yullen fics and writing my own DGM fic. Lol. I fail at being a fast updater. Procrastination sucks, for real. But I secretly hope that you all enjoyed this chapter.

Oh! **ReplicaRiku'sgirl **asked in her review if there was going to be the GenesisxSephiroth (or SephyxGeny) pairing in the story. I am giving you, readers, the choice.

Questions, you want them? Yes, no? Well, I'm still gonna give them :p

**Q1:** Any idea what's so special about Zack's amulet?  
**Q2:** In Cloud's memories, Hojo said that the blonde was going to be a perfect (…). What do you think it is?  
**Q3:** Ain't Cloud a cute vampire? (LOL xD)  
**Bonus:** Anyone else who likes the duo Empire of the Sun? :p

Oh, and next chapter? Drama ensues with bits of angst and romance.

Until next time, cheers! And click on the 'Review' button? :3

Yours truly,  
Midnight C.


	5. Shattering World

**A/N:** You know, I hate writing the beginning of a new chapter. It's a bitch. This was a bitch to write. I survived (nyahaha!), and I like the outcome of this chapter. A lot. :D There's a scene in it that I normally planned to write in the next chapter, but I thought it suited better here. Anyway, I updated faster this time, eh? :D I kept my promise to you that I'd update MMFGW in July~ And oh, oh! This fic almost exists one year! :D

_**Answers to the questions:**_

**Some SephirothxGenesis, yes or no:  
**Most of you voted for YES :3

**Any idea what's so special about Zack's amulet:  
**The amulet is linked to Cloud; it's only a accessory; no clue… Well, you're all wrong. :D That's okay, though. Makes it more fun to read this chapter, nyahaa –knowing grin-

**In Cloud's memories, Hojo said that the blonde was going to be a perfect (…). What do you think it is?  
**Some of you answered super-SOLDIER ; vampire ; perfect killing machine/specimen… But, lol, it'll stay a surprise ;D

**Ain't Cloud a cute vampire?  
**HELL YEAH

**I thank all my beloved reviewers/favers/alerters/readers for still keeping up with me (and this fic**)! :D  
**Muchos love & hearts!!**

* * *

**Warnings:** the usual.

**Beta:** My mom, lol. But seriously: we (mom and I) are not native speakers of English, so this fic needs a beta. Any volunteers?

**Disclaimer:** if I owned Final Fantasy, I'd make the remake of FFVII come true. Damn you, Sqeenix! D:

* * *

_And I feel the cold wind blowing beneath my wings  
It always leads me back to suffering  
But I will soar until the wind whips me down  
Leaves me beaten on unholy ground again_

- Shackled by Vertical Horizon

* * *

**Fang 5: ****It Shatters (My World)**

He was going to apologize.

Or maybe not.

No! He definitely needed to apologize! Why was he so afraid to say three little words?

'_Grow some balls, Zack! You're a man, for Christ's sake!'_ he thought. Well, sure, he was a man. A strong vampire as a matter of fact. Killed vampire hunters without an ounce of hesitation (even if he got filled with regret afterwards).

So why the hell was it so hard to say sorry? Because he was scared to see Cloud's reaction? Scared that Cloud wouldn't want to hear any of it and push Zack away? Scared that Cloud would run away, far, far away from him?

No. He was overreacting. How silly of him to think something like that. Cloud wouldn't leave him—they had shared a sweet kiss. A real one. And Cloud was very mature for his age, more mature than Zack, who was older by a year. The blonde mercenary/vampire would understand when Zack explained everything—

Oh god. _That's_ the reason why he hesitated. He'd have to tell Cloud he could lose control over himself and turn into an out-of-control vampire. Which shouldn't even be possible! His amulet was supposed to restrain the inner monster in him so that accidents like yesterday didn't occur!

Zack was so deeply lost in thoughts, he didn't even notice Cloud was giving him strange glances. The black-haired male had unconsciously started to mumble words and made Cloud wonder if the bear had hit the older vampire a bit too hard on the head.

"Uhm, Za—" he started, but got interrupted.

"I'm sorry!" Zack blurted out.

"…What?"

"I'm sorry," the black-haired male repeated, lowering his head so he didn't need to lock eyes with Cloud, afraid to see something he didn't want to see in them. "I'm sorry I attacked you. I should have locked the door, or warn you, or…"

Zack struggled to find the right words, most likely things to say to blame himself. Cloud blinked, a bit startled at Zack's sudden confession, but his expression quickly changed and he smiled softly.

Zack could be such a blockhead—the blonde had already forgiven him.

"Zack." He watched how the other vampire suddenly stopped rambling, breath hitching in his throat and sapphire pools widening is light panic. Cloud could notice all of this since they were walking so close to each other (it would seem that the dead weight they were carrying wasn't bothering them in the slightest), and he couldn't help himself to chuckle. Seriously, Zack resembled a lot to a puppy.

He halted and Zack was forced to do the same. The dark-haired vampire began to fidget, nervously playing with the toes of the bear. "Zack, look at me." Cloud ordered, and Zack slowly lifted his head. The blonde smiled again, catching Zack off guard and Cloud took full advantage of this, kissing him. He let his lips linger there for five seconds before he retreated.

"I forgive you, so stop fretting about it like I'm about to stuff you with garlic and spray holy water all over you." His smile evolved into a wide grin and he patted Zack on the head. The dark-haired male really got showered with surprises today. Not that he was going to complain about them, since they were all good surprises. He felt like a spoiled child. Cloud had granted him pardon, and on top of that kissed him.

Zack sensed his body relax and on his turn gave Cloud the most brightest smiles ever. He dropped the paw of the bear, making Cloud yelp when he also dropped the paw he was holding and stumbled, but Zack swiftly grabbed the blonde's waist and embraced him.

"That sounded _so_ wrong coming out of _your_ mouth. Since when do you use vampire clichés anyway?" he questioned, burrowing his nose in Cloud's soft hair. Hah, he knew it: vanilla and rain scent.

"Since I confirmed your stupidity was contagious," the blonde joked, encircling his arms around Zack. The warm body shook with laughter and he felt two hands on his shoulders, pushing him back a bit so that he was looking straight into Zack's eyes. Their foreheads bumped together and the dark-haired male hummed happily.

"I think I'm glad you knocked me out that night. Who would've thought the situation would turn out like this? It's fate."

Cloud rolled his eyes and smirked, "Don't become sappy. Fate has nothing to do with it. It's just mere coincidence."

"No, I'm pretty damn sure it's fate. Besides, there's a fine line between coincidence and karma, you know."

"And there's also a thin line between sanity and insanity. It's coincidence, not fate, Moirai, kismet or whatever." Cloud untangled himself from Zack and hunched down to grab a hairy leg of Mr. Teddy and told Zack to take the other. The dark-haired male pouted at the loss of the warmth and decided Cloud was too stubborn for his own good.

But Zack sure could get used to Cloud's small displays of affection. It was a nice change of all the beating, slapping, punching and other things he had to undergo since their _fateful_ encounter in Gongaga.

"And still I believe it's fate," he muttered lowly, but still loud enough so Cloud could hear it. He received a punch in the shoulder and Cloud smirked, satisfied, while Zack whined.

"Hey, Cloud?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

* * *

The ever-perfect snow laying on the ground greeted them when they neared the base. Nonetheless, how perfect and untouched the scenery may seem, Zack knew something was off.

"Wait," he ordered, immediately shutting Cloud up, who had been talking about his love-hate relationship for rain and storms. The blonde frowned, but quickly changed his stance and listened carefully, artic eyes roaming over the place.

"Did you also notice?" Zack asked lowly, all his senses on alert and posture tense. Why did he feel uneasy? A cold chill ran up his spine and he felt like someone was watching him, waiting him, calling out to him.

"Yeah. It's too quiet. Too peaceful. We better be on our guard, danger is probably lurking around the corner. I dare say we are going to get assaulted the minute we set foot in your territory." Cloud stated after his short inspection. Not soon after the words left his mouth, four big, enraged dogs appeared from the abandoned houses, heading with bared teeth towards the pair.

"Or maybe sooner." The vampires didn't waste time and as if they were on the same wavelength, they simultaneously threw the heavy-weighted bear at the gray-furred dogs. They managed to flog two KO, but the other two had jumped out of the way. Growling ferociously, they set their glowing yellow orbs on Cloud.

He unsheathed his sword, grumbling curses under his breath. "The hell? Why do all the animals come after me? Am I some kind of bait for them or what?" he spoke to no one in particular, aggravation clearly apparent in his voice.

Zack grinned, Buster Sword already in hands. "Well," he started, "You _are_ good-looking. I would also like to bite into your soft, tender skin if I were an animal. Hell! I'd even bite you in my normal form!"

The blonde vampire gave Zack one of the meanest glares. "If you ever dare do that, you may start praying. I won't show mercy while castrating you." To release himself from the sudden anger, Cloud killed the two hounds in one swift motion. The dark-haired male gulped.

'_Note to self: never, ever piss off Spike again.'_

Cloud hunched down next to the dead fiends while Zack went to take care of the unconscious pair. Better not take risks; if he didn't take them out now, they would surely come back for Cloud and him later.

'_Ew, these hounds __are really hideous things. I wonder where they come from, it's the first time I see them. Maybe another experiment?' _he thought while finishing the dirty job. Zack heard a small gasp and when he turned his head around, a blur of black and yellow passed him by.

He stared to where Cloud previously was, before whipping his head towards his base. He saw the blonde running to it, kicking the metal door and entering the old bathhouse. Zack panicked.

Zack had definitely heard the name "Sephiroth", and he if was guessing right, then the reason why Cloud had stormed inside the 'house' was not because he needed to take a pee. It was because the blonde's archenemy was present in Modeoheim. Or more specifically: in Zack's secret base.

Well, poops.

"Cloud!" He didn't know why he even bothered yelling—it's not like the blonde was going to stop, not when Sephiroth was involved in the matter.

Zack gritted his teeth and ran. He had a very bad feeling about this. It stirred inside him like a storm, warning him. Zack had to go after Cloud, forget about all the rest. If Sephiroth was awaiting them – no, only Cloud – then the blonde would be in some serious trouble. Cloud may have defeated the silver-haired male once, but it was mere luck. He wouldn't be so lucky now.

Just like the interior of Zack's bathhouse, that was completely destroyed. All the hard work to make it at least cosy, gone. Broken shards of glass sprawled everywhere on the ground, chairs in pieces, the bar almost unrecognizable thanks to all the deep slashes—and Zack was sure the person who did this wielded a sword. Not a long, fine sword like the Masamune. Shorter, not precisely refined nor as graceful as Sephiroth's weapon.

With a disheartened expression, Zack turned his back to the wreckage. His home. Now wasn't the time to cry or be depressed about something he could always rebuild, though he could tell he wouldn't.

'_Don't worry about it. You have to find Cloud, he might be in danger.'_ With a nod to himself, Zack continued. Every new room he entered, the same hideous hounds from outside would await him. Sometimes alone or in a group of three, but mostly only two dogs. He made quick work of them. No flinching, no sounds, just a sweep from the Buster Sword. His eyes always saddened at the sight of destruction. Whoever did this, they sure held a deep hatred for Zack.

When he finally came in the training room, Zack was glad to see that no monsters were present. Good. His muscles were kinda starting to ache from the effort of killing those beasts. He wasn't acclimated to use his weapon so much in such a short duration. He was a strong vampire (but not as powerful as Sephiroth), so he often trusted his strength and fists to do the job. Only if it was necessary, like with a whole horde of vampire hunters, did he rely on his Buster Sword.

"Urgh. In normal circumstance, I wouldn't mind to attract so much attention. Of course, no one bothered me when I travelled alone, but now it's like one misfortune after the other comes in waves! I should have kept my faith in Gaia." Zack muttered while approaching the stairs. He abruptly stopped when he couldn't detect the white materia Aerith had given him. Just to be sure, he scanned the whole place, even looking behind boxes and corners.

A long groan confirmed that the white orb had disappeared, or had been stolen. Which sucked, a lot. It was a very precious treasure, the only thing Aerith had left behind as a memento. And now it was gone. He hoped she wasn't glaring daggers at him from her cloud up there in Heaven.

'_I'll get it back,' _he swore, and climbed up the stairs.

A loud explosion resounded through the whole bathhouse and Zack hesitated for a second, before he practically dashed until he reached the rooftop (although it was more the bathhouse hall, the roof was just connected with it), kicking the metal door open…

…And vehemently wished that what he saw in front of him was just another nightmare.

There was not much left of the roof or the walls, probably blown away by the explosion. Although that's not what caught his attention. His ex-mentor, Angeal, was slumped against one of the more solid walls, half-conscious.

Zack cocked an eyebrow, "Angeal? What are you—"

"I see you finally managed to come. Took you long enough. I already took care of your ex-mentor." The new voice made him froze, and ever so slowly the dark-haired vampire let his eyes drift to the person in the middle of the large room.

Well, _persons_.

"Blondie here," the crimson-clad male started, shaking the blonde he was holding close with a hand clasped around the fragile throat, and Zack realized it was Cloud who was struggling against the vice-like grip the man had on him, "Was so blinded by vengeance and so impatient to murder someone that he didn't notice it was me and not my fellow friend Sephiroth."

"Let him go," Zack growled in warning, fingers already sneaking around the handle of his Buster Sword, "Genesis."

The auburn-haired vampire chuckled, swatting his bangs out of his vision without poking his eyeballs out, since he was holding the Rapier with one hand and suffocating Cloud with the other. Genesis was enjoying it, Zack knew. He enjoyed inflicting pain on the blonde because Cloud had done the same a few days ago. It wasn't for revenge, just for his sick pleasure and because Genesis _knew_ it hurt Zack to see his friend – his _lover_ – in misery.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, my dear Zack. After spying on you two with some pawns, I came to the conclusion that this little vampire has become a barrier between us. If I don't get rid of Blondie, I'll never be able to get you." Genesis said. He brought the Rapier closer to Cloud, and continued talking.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I know you'll _never_ want me since you'll never forgive me, but I can't help myself to have you in my possession." His attention went to Cloud and he whispered something to him. Although Cloud was facing Zack with his back, the dark-haired male knew that Genesis must have said one or another horrible thing by the way Cloud's body went suddenly rigid.

With a satisfied smirk, Genesis stared back at Zack. "So, what do you say I give little vampire the same thing he did to you?" He didn't wait for Zack's reply, and the next thing he heard was Cloud's raw scream.

"Cloud!" The first droplets of blood fell on the already dirty floor, the smell of copper reaching Zack's nostrils and he felt dizzy. His stomach was stirring wildly again, and the feeling from when he started to lose control over his mind came back.

'_Not now!'_ he yelled in his head, trying to push the urge to lick and drink the blood down. _'Not now, focus! Calm down, and focus.'_ Zack unsheathed his weapon, taking deep breaths, watching as Cloud's shirt darkened with blood. He understood what Genesis meant with 'returning the favour'. The auburn-haired vampire had wounded _his_ Cloud on the same spot where the blonde had injured Zack. He hoped it wasn't too serious, but better not wait too long.

With a last deep breath, Zack lunged forwards, using the strength in his legs to be very fast instead of directly using his vampiric powers. Ironically, that's what he also had done when fighting the bear, but it hadn't helped a lot. At least Genesis's smaller.

A figure coming at him at high speed startled Zack. His reflexes were quick enough to catch the body, but the impact threw him off balance and he tumbled on the ground. Zack groaned and tried to sit up, carefully holding onto the person who was Cloud.

"Are you okay?" Zack asked, wincing as he felt a lukewarm substance slipping through his fingers. He recalled then that Cloud was hurt, and Zack was just gripping the injured side tightly. The dark-haired male removed his hand and was about to apologize but the words died in his throat.

The blonde hadn't answered if he was alright or not, neither had he reacted with the contact of Zack's palm on his wound. "Cloud?" Zack raised the blonde's chin, and, well, fuck. He looked terrified.

"Cloud? Oi, Spike? Come on, answer—"

"Ho…" Cloud breathed, face pale and pupils dilated. He wasn't gaping at Zack—more like through him. Zack heard Genesis snicker but ignored it, more concerned about Cloud who seemed to be lost in his world.

It's when he heard a name rolling off Cloud's lips, that he understood the real damage Genesis had inflicted. "You bastard," he furrowed in anger, "What did you tell him?! Why is he repeating Hojo's name like a damn mantra!"

"Nothing much, I only told Blondie the truth about his pathetic existence. He should have died instead of being turned into a vampire. Be left alone and not picked up by some low-ranked vampires. Hojo's little slaves, if you prefer," Genesis responded with a smug grin painted on his face the whole time. He circled around Angeal – who was unconscious – with his weapon scraping the floor.

"And that afterwards, he became Dr. Hojo's _peculiar_ experiment because he survived the special vampire cells circulating through his veins, and Hojo kind of guessed Blondie had received them from the mightiest vampire in history, Sephiroth. But it would seem that Hojo's name triggered some unwanted and forgotten memories, thus the reason why your little _friend_ is freaking out right now," he ended, with the point of his Rapier at Angeal's throat.

"Can't blame him though. Hojo is a mad man—who knows what he did to him. It's a miracle that Blondie managed to esc—" Genesis didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when a furious Zack had charged at him at high speed and almost sliced the auburn-haired man in two.

Both where face-to-face, only their swords clashed together separating them from any physical contact. Zack growled fiercely, baring his fangs and for an instant, Genesis was paralyzed when he stared in blazing aquamarine pools. This was the first time he had seen Zack truly enraged, and he thought it was enticing.

"Really beautiful," he breathed, drowning himself in the burning colour. But the reverie didn't last for long.

"You're such a bastard. I don't care if you hurt me, but I can't accept what you did to Angeal." The tone in which Zack was speaking gave Genesis goosebumps, even the hateful glaring was so intense.

"Nor can I forgive you for laying your dirty paws on Cloud and harm _him_."

Zack suddenly took a step backwards, before he swung his sword and aimed at Genesis. He missed him by a hair when the older vampire leaped aside, forming a gap between them. Zack wasn't going to let his enemy go, not with all the damage he'd done.

"You're going to pay for it!" he screamed, lifting his Buster Sword and ran. Genesis smirked, as he already comprehended Zack's fighting style and thus his weakness: always charging head-first in a battle without thinking about his enemy's skills and strength.

"So predictable!" He laughed and got ready to launch his special sword technique. It could be fatal for Zack, but taking risks made part of being a vampire.

Zack came dangerously closer. It would only take a matter of seconds before Genesis would have the upper hand and knock the dark-haired male down—with or without new scars to sport.

"Damn you!" The distance became almost non-existent as they each took a rapid step, always faster and faster accompanied with murder intent. Finally, just when they were about to strike, it was like everything went into sudden slow motion.

Pity you can't stop time.

* * *

_It was so dark and lonely and calm. Frightening. He couldn't even see his small hands, desperately grabbing in thin air in hopes of touching something that would assure the child he wasn't in some kind of abyss. _

_Was he even awake? He felt light, but at the same time heavy. A poor whimper escaped his lips and he sounded so young, so very lost in this darkness. _

"_Someone… please…" How long had he been repeating those words, hoping that someone would hear his pleas? Hours, maybe. He didn't know how he landed here in the first place. He remembered himself walking through a forest at night. Maybe he was still in the forest, and that the lack of light could be blamed on the clouds covering the moon and stars._

"_Please…help me…"_

_A low grumble, akin to a feral growl, made the little boy stop in his tracks. Had he imagined it? Could be, the silence was making him crazy. But then he heard it again, louder this time and much, much closer. _

_He tried not to breathe, certain that it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him. There was definitely someone here. If only he could see in this obscurity, then he'd be less scared and could run if necessary without tripping over his own feet._

_Again, that sound. So horrible. Whatever was __producing it, it sure wasn't friendly and not here to save the child. He gulped, staring straight into two blue dots, not even three feet away from him. _

_No. Not blue—aquamarine. And not dots, but eyes, sending cold shivers all over the boy's body. He swore they had an evil, hungry look in them._

"_W-who are you?" he asked with a trembling voice. The thing, or human, didn't reply. It just observed how the little boy's breathing became laboured, limbs trembling, uncertainty and fright clearly visible in his beautiful sapphire jewels. It grinned, then. The young boy didn't like it, because even with all this darkness, he noticed the sharp fangs. _

_He screamed._

_The thing jumped high in the air, landing gracefully on the child who was stupid enough to stand there and destroy his vocal chords. It straddled the boy's hips, and he tried to struggle and get whatever was on him _off_ him. Of course, little kids weren't, couldn't be strong enough to push a monster away._

_He knew, that even if the __figure was ridiculously strong, it was definitely human. But he also knew that even if claws did not accompany the hands holding his wrists down, it wasn't entirely human. _

_Because the form was a boy who looked exactly like the scared child, grinning down at him like it knew something he did not. The little boy, the real one, couldn't recall having siblings, especially not a twin. In fact, he was positive his whole family had been assassinated and…_

_Oh. Oh. Now he remembered what happened. He was running in the forest, running away from beasts. Human beasts. Those who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and attacked his village, sparing no one. His mother had been hiding with him behind crates while his father fought against the monsters to protect them. But he had failed, the chortling persons killing him coldly, wickedly enjoying it. His mother had furiously whispered something to him before she revealed herself to the murderers. _

"_Leave," she had worded and started to provoke them, presenting herself as bait. As a decoy, to save him. He remembered, while bolting for his miserable life, the agonizing cry from his mother following him even when the village was long left behind him. He had cried, not only for his loving family, but also for the village where he grew up, now only a burning heap of carcases and houses._

_W__hen he had thought it was all over, he heard someone speak. He had turned around, took one look at the group, and started sprinting towards the trees. They had followed him, but so fast! They were not normal people. He'd been cornered in a small open pace in the middle of the forest. The moonlight caressing his fragile little being, and the group leisurely closing in on him. Even if he had wanted, he couldn't escape. He'd been frozen to the ground by all the blazing aquamarine eyes. One of them had taken a step forward, probably the leader, grabbing the boy's chin._

"_You seem lost, little boy. Maybe we should bring you back to your daddy and mommy, hm?" The way he had said it meant no good, but still he hadn't done anything except staring at the man and wishing someone would save him. _

_His prayers had not been heard. The moment the man had released him, he'd bitten him. And then he'd lost conscious, thinking that it was the end._

"_You are me," the boy whispered brokenly when he came back to reality. He understood now, why this kid was like a perfect replica of himself. _

_The other boy hummed pleasantly, smiling and closing his eyes halfway. "Yes, that's right. I am you," he answered with a light tone, almost velvety. "But the _other_ you."_

_The replica lowered his lips to the young boy's ear. The child already knew what he was going to say, as he had seen it in his memories what that monster had done. Nonetheless, he didn't stop his other self. Why would he, if he already knew the truth?_

"_I am the beast inside you," the replica murmured, purposely going slow with revealing what was going to change the boy's life for good._

_But the child beat him to it, the tears finally leaving his eyes. In a somewhat cracked but still firm voice, he uttered the words that would never become undone._

"_You are my vampire self."_

_The replica blinked, a bit surprised at the boy's bluntness. His __amazement was quickly replaced by his trademark grin and he guffawed. The child could see the fangs very well now. The other him patted the kid on the head._

"_Aww," he cooed, "You've already accepted me! I'm flattered. I thought it would take aeons before you'd grasp that you can't return to your normal, boring life. Don't worry though, I may be you, but I'm also myself. Like an alter ego, yanno? I'll help you survive, fight for you and drink blood while you can rest peacefully in your shelter that is your mind. It's like I'm taking over your body, but you'd still be there!" He laughed again._

_The boy felt numb. What? Let himself being taken over by someone else? No, no he didn't want that. He didn't want to live inside his mind while the other one would wander freely, albeit as a vampire. He didn't want to drink blood because that'd be like killing humans. Besides, he didn't like this boy. It wasn't him. He may look like him, but he wasn't. Actually, the vampire's appearance was nothing like him. He, the human, had deep-blue eyes, not aquamarine. He had teeth, not fangs._

_He had a gentle smile, not a wicked smirk or grin or malice laugh. He was kind, always playful and obedient, loved and being loved by everyone and he liked to pull non-harmful pranks on the villagers or help his parents with the household. _

_His other self was nothing like that. They only met, but he could already tell that his replica was mean and ill-natured. Nothing about him told that he was a gentle person. He reeked of blood—how that was even possible, the young child had no idea, since he was just turned into a vampire and hadn't killed or drunk yet._

_Yet. But will soon._

"_NO!" He yelled and began to kick the boy atop him. No way in hell was he going to let that monster free. He'd fight him if he had to._

"_Hey! What the heck is wrong with you! Stop struggling!" he ignored the other and struggled more, until he succeeded to throw the other off him. They both stood up, one panting heavily and fisting his hands; the other glaring and snarling like an animal._

"_You can't escape your fate, kid."_

"_You're wrong!" _

"_Really? Then explain to me how the hell you are going to escape something that resides inside you, huh? Commit suicide? Drive yourself insane until you've lost it?" the vampire taunted, waving a hand absentmindedly._

"_I'll… I'll ask for help!" Yes, he was sure someone could help him. Cure him from this curse._

"_Ask for help? Hah! Haha, oh dear! Like a person would really want to help a vampire. They'd stab you in the back, shoot you in the head. That's what they're going to do to help you. Just accept it, kid. Ever since that vampire bit you, you've been caged away from humanity."_

"_No," the boy was not going to believe a monster. "No," he repeated with his head bowed, daring to take a step forth and his other self cocked an eyebrow. "You're lying, you're lying, you're lying…"_

_He lifted his head, fresh tears streaming down his cheeks and he yelled so loud he thought his lungs would pop. He could care less, he seriously didn't give a damn. _

"_You're lying!!" he fell on his knees, shielding his ears for whatever the other boy was going to say. _

_The vampire said nothing. He looked at his pitiful version, broken and fragile. "Pathetic," he muttered. He walked until he stood in front of the child, hunched down and lifted his chin just like the man had done. _

"_I'll leave you alone for now, but don't think this is over. There will be a time where you'll lose control over yourself again, and then I'll take my chance. Until then…" _

_The replica started to fade. Before he was completely disappeared, he spoke two words and the real child, the little unfortunate boy, bit on his lower lip. _

"_Don't die."_

_He was alone. It was cold and silent. Darkness was still everywhere, creeping up on him. His small frail shivered like mad, the tears wouldn't stop falling, but all he could really think about was the copper taste in his mouth._

_It tasted horrible._

_

* * *

_

"_Damn it, this doesn't look good. You got bitten by an enraged vampire."_

_A voice faded in and out. The boy was too tired to care or listen. He wanted to sleep and simply forget everything._

"_I have no other choice. I'm sorry kid, but it's for your own good."_

_He first felt a warmth spread through him—it quickly turned into burning pain when the fangs sunk in his skin and heard a sucking noise. He gasped and panted. Then it was over. Or so he thought._

_The taste of copper invaded his mouth again, though this time, the amount of it was comparable to a half glass of water. He gagged. A hand over his mouth kept him from spitting it all out. He couldn't move and he was in need of air. He swallowed._

_If being bitten was already painful, then he felt like he was going trough hell over and over again without and end in sight. It was torture._

_

* * *

_

"_Kid, wake up!"_

_Who's there? Who's calling him?_

_The boy __attempted to open his eyes but it proved to be a rather difficult task. He moved his fingers, his feet, legs, arms… everything was fine. He felt groggy though. Maybe if he sat up he could ease the crampness, but that would only work if he wasn't being kept down._

_He finally cracked an eye open and was shocked to see a man hovering above him, who wore the same expression. He gasped and tried to stand, forgetting that the man was still holding him. _

"_P-please, let m-me go, please…" he choked on a sob and the man's face eased in a kind smile. The child knew it was genuine, not fake or deceiving. Still didn't mean the man wasn't dangerous._

"_How are you feeling?" the man asked, worry seeping into cerulean eyes. They were paler than his. _

"_A-are you gonna k-kill me?" It would make sense. This person probably found out that he was one of those filthy creatures. The man chuckled, wiping some dirt off the boy's cheek. "Of course not. Why would I?"_

"'_Cause I'm dangerous… I-I'm a… a… v-vam—" a finger on his lips stopped him from talking. And before he could protest, he was eating shirt. The dark-haired man was hugging him, holding the young child as if to protect him from all that was corrupted._

"_You don't have to worry about anything. You can come home with me. I'll mentor you, help you with keeping the vampire urges under control. I'll help you become strong," he said._

"_Until the day you'll be able to stand on your own, I will protect you."_

_How strange. Why did this man care so much? But his words were comforting, he felt safe in his arms, although the man was just like him—a creature of the night. He'd noticed, when his pale eyes had slightly flickered to a brighter colour. But he was a good vampire. Trustworthy._

"_Promise?" Just to be sure, to assure himself that the man would keep his word. He didn't want to be betrayed, God knew what he would do if that happened. _

"_I promise." That's all he wanted to hear. He smiled, and he could tell the man was, too. _

"_What's your name?" the older vampire questioned, releasing the boy. He stood up, offering his hand to the kid and looked at him with fondness. He took it and got lifted up, the sudden movement making him wobble a bit but a warm hand stabilized him. _

"_Zack." And he swore the man's happiness was contagious, as the sadness pulling at the strings of his heart began to subside. _

_The man hummed, "Zack, huh? Mhm, my name's Angeal. Nice to meet you, even in these circumstances," he spoke and grasped the boy's small hand in his own._

"_Come on, let's go home." Home. A new life. Yes, his parents would be happy for him that he found someone reliable and kind. _

_Angeal was his saviour._

* * *

It wasn't because you saw things in slow-motion that you could stop it from happening, Zack fathomed when he watched with horror how Angeal jumped in-between them. Luckily, he could steer his arm into another direction so that he didn't hit his ex-mentor.

_Unfortunately_, the same thing couldn't be said for Genesis's Rapier, emerging from Angeal's abdomen. Still, it didn't stop the man to smile at Zack, even when he coughed up blood.

"Angeal!" As if he got electrocuted, he jolted into action. Genesis scowled and removed his sword from Angeal, who, in exchange, collapsed on the ground. He tried to deflect Zack's sudden rain of sword slashes, but didn't manage to evade all of them.

Grunting, he wondered where Zack's sudden power came from. It was as if the 'accident' awakened something in the younger vampire. Or at least, almost. While he was lost in thoughts, Zack took his chance to struck Genesis. A loud howl resounded through the room and the auburn-haired male staggered back, clasping his stabbed shoulder.

"I'm not done with you!" Zack screamed, readying himself to charge again. Genesis tched. Maybe he'd been playing around a bit too long. It was time to leave, now that he was still intact. If Zack let him escape, that is. The young vampire's sudden loss had triggered a certain thing in him and it seemed he couldn't be stopped, not until he had eliminated his enemy.

"Zack."

The black-haired male halted, turning his head around to see Cloud crawl towards Angeal, and Angeal himself observing Zack. He repeated his name, firmer.

"Zack, stop. You're losing control over your emotions. He's not worth it." Zack understood what his ex-mentor meant, and, albeit reluctant, lowered his sword. This was Genesis's only opportunity to leave.

"Well, things didn't turn out quite as I wanted, but I thank you all for the entertainment!" He hopped up on the roof and spoke before he waved them goodbye.

"I also have to thank you for this magnificent materia, Zack. I promise I'll take good care of it."

"Wait!" But he was already gone. "Damn it!" He cursed loudly until he heard violent coughing. Now that Genesis was gone, the aggressiveness and anger had also disappeared. It was panic's turn to swim into Zack's mind.

He let his Buster Sword fall on the ground and sped to the pair. "Angeal, please hold on." He let himself drop on his knees and Cloud shuffled around the other side of the bleeding vampire. The blonde was dizzy and sweating, but this man was more important to worry about.

"Zack, listen to me," Angeal made sure Zack was paying attention before he continued.

"I don't want you to take revenge. Protect what's dear to you and keep your emotions in check. You know what'll happen if the seal breaks. Don't let that happen, understood?"

"Okay, okay. I promise, but don't talk like you're about to die."

The dark-haired man grunted, but couldn't help to chuckle, "Heh, you're still the same little boy I picked up. I'm glad I could be your mentor, Zack."

"Don't speak, you're hurting yourself." Zack's voice was uneven and his hands were trembling, still pushing pressure on the wound. He wasn't going to let him go.

"Zack, never forget the words that I taught you," Angeal forced through clenched teeth. "Live so that you may live." Then his eyes closed, inhaling deeply and then softly exhaling until his chest stopped moving. It was quiet for a moment, until Zack softly shook the man, his name being repeated several times.

"Angeal?" Shake, "Angeal, come on, stop joking. This isn't funny… Angeal?"

"He's dead," whispered Cloud sadly. He hadn't known this man, but it still hurt to see someone die. So he knew it had to be hard for Zack, who just stared with a blank face. The fact that his ex-mentor was gone forever was probably difficult to believe. He looked utterly disoriented.

The blonde stood up – wincing when his body protested – and leisurely walked around Angeal to stand behind Zack. He carefully lowered himself, hesitated, and wrapped his arms around the vampire, embracing him from behind. The action made Zack crack, and before Cloud knew what was going on, he felt droplets of water fall on his arms.

Tears.

Cloud hugged the male tighter, "It's fine, Zack. I'm here for you." A hand clasped around his arm, pulling it loose and turning the blonde so that now, it was Zack hugging Cloud. The blonde heard the male apologize over and over again throughout his soft cries. All he could do was comfort him, murmuring gentle words and just be there with Zack.

Dark clouds began to loom over Modeoheim, bringing a downpour of rain with them. The vampires didn't move from their position, and even the rain couldn't wash away the tears. Again, that night, no one slept and the loud thunder rumbled in the skies while lightning struck.

There would be no calm before the storm—the storm was already there.

**To be continued...**

* * *

Haha, now you know why the hell I wrote a chapter with a bear in it XD They had to use it to throw it at the doggies :D

**About Angeal:** Yes. Angeal is dead. Bite me. Biiiiiiiite me. No, seriously. I love Angeal, since he's awesome and shit, so even I am sad with the scene, but it was necessary for this story. Oh yeah, talking about the fic: it's not following the game's storyline. Trust me.

**About Zack:** Hot diggity! Zack's past has been revealed! Well, actually, only half of it, haha. I mean, now you understand how Zack became a vampire and why he's acting strange. The other half of the past will be mentioned in the next chapter.

Oh, and I know I am lazy as hell. I guess you already knew that, eh. BUT! To put your mind at ease: THIS FIC WILL NEVER BE DISCONTINUED OR PUT ON HOLD! :D And I'm asking it again: any volunteers to beta this fic (starting from chapter 3)?

No questions this time, but I thank you for reading and please review~! :D

_Yours truly,  
Midnight C._


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